News
6 May, 2025
A sea of red floods regions
NEWLY elected Labor Member for Dickson, Ali France, took over the 24-year LNP-held seat in a historic win over opposition leader Peter Dutton, with an 8.2 per cent swing in favour of Labor.
Dickson is not the only electorate to shine red across our regions this election, as Labor appears to have won three of the four electorates in Moreton Bay and Somerset (Blair, Petrie and Dickson), with Longman still remaining in a deadlock.
While Shayne Neumann was re-elected for a historic seventh term representing Blair, Labor candidates Emma Comer and Ali France appear to have won the previously blue seats of Petrie and Dickson, respectively, with Ms France taking a confirmed win over Mr Dutton.
Longman is the only electorate in our regions of Moreton Bay and Somerset still locked in absolute uncertainty, as LNP candidate Terry Young and Labor candidate Rhiannyn Douglas have remained in a near 50/50 race since Saturday, with each having had moments on top.
As of May 6, at the time of print, Terry Young is winning by just over 300 votes, leading with 50.1 per cent, while Ms Douglas stands at 49.9 per cent.
While Labor candidate Emma Comer appears to have won over LNP candidate Luke Howarth for the seat of Petrie, it has not officially been called as of May 6. Ms Comer stands with 51.3 per cent, with Mr Howard having 48.7 per cent.
If Ms Douglas and Ms Comer win, all three Moreton Bay electorates will have been gained by Labor after years under the LNP. It would also mean all federal members for Moreton Bay would be women.
Ali France Makes History
With an over 8 per cent swing towards Labor from the previous election in Dickson, Ali France was able to outseat Peter Dutton with a 56.5 per cent win as of May 6, with 74 per cent of votes counted.
Ms France is the first person ever to unseat an opposition leader at a federal election, with this having been her third time running.
A world champion para-athlete, Ms France is an amputee, having lost her leg in an accident in 2011. She is a fierce disability advocate and former journalist, having also lost her 19-year-old son, Henry, to Leukaemia last year.
In her winning speech, Ms France said she will fight for her community and thanked all those who voted for her, including some who may have voted for Labor for the first time.
“Be assured I will be a Member of Parliament for everyone in our community, whether you voted for me or not,” she said.
“My door will always be open and I will work my little heart out for you every day.”
Ms France acknowledged her opponent and thanked Mr Dutton for his past 24 years representing Dickson, adding she was told early on Dickson would never sway.
“In 2018 I was told Dickson was not winnable and it wouldn’t be winnable until Peter Dutton retired,” she said.
“They said he was too popular, too well-known, he had too much money and we would never be able to compete with his big spending campaign.
I took all of that in and went ‘yeah, nah’.”
She thanked her late son for his support, even through his illness, adding he was “insistent” she didn’t give up.
“Every time it felt hard or too much, I thought of him and his courage and bravery and positivity to the very end,” she said.
“I carried that courage with me throughout this campaign and it’s got me here.”
Shayne Neumann Shines Bright in Seventh Term
Re-elected Labor Member for Blair, Shayne Neumann, won with a 0.7 per cent swing from the previous election, leading with a 55.9 per cent win, as 73.5 per cent of votes were counted as of May 6.
Mr Neumann said he was humbled by the election result and thanked the people of Ipswich and Somerset for their support.
“It is an honour to represent an area in which my family has lived for seven generations,” he said.
“I could not have done this without the hard work and dedication of so many volunteers and supporters.
It has been a privilege to serve our great region and I look forward to working for our community as part of a re-elected Albanese Labor Government.”
Mr Neumann said his campaign had focussed on delivering the infrastructure needed in the rapidly growing electorate of Blair – including funding major upgrades to the Brisbane Valley Highway, more courts for Fernvale Sports Park, and a major upgrade for the Lowood Pool.
Mr Neumann attributed Labor’s landslide win to the Albanese Government’s “clear plans for the nation’s future”, naming cost-of-living relief such as tax cuts for every taxpayer as an example, as well as more affordable health care, help for first home buyers, free TAFE, cheaper childcare, and cuts to HECS debt.
“I look forward to delivering on these promises and have already hit the ground running,” he said.
Shayne Neumann’s 2025 Election Commitments
$200 million towards the Amberley Interchange (on top of $16 million for business cases for the Amberley Intersection, and Ripley Road and Swanbank Road Interchanges on the Cunningham Highway);
$20 million for Brisbane Valley Highway safety upgrades, bringing the total Federal Government commitment to $40 million;
$5.5 million for a new House of India community and cultural centre;
$5 million for the Ipswich Basketball Stadium extension;
$4.5 million for a new Ripley Rugby League and Sports Centre;
$4.05 million to upgrade Lowood Swimming Pool;
$1.6 million for the Fernvale Sports Park netball court extension;
$1.2 million for the Chuwar Koala and Native Fauna Conservation Park;
$700,000 for YMCA Springfield Central Community Centre upgrades;
A new headspace youth mental health service in Redbank Plains.
These numbers and results are accurate at time of printing on May 6, 3pm.
For updates visit: https://tallyroom.aec.gov.au/HouseDefault-31496.htm
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