A by-election triggered by an MP’s sudden death looms as a litmus test for a state government’s handling of the fuel crisis.
More than 40,000 Queensland voters will take to the polls in the north Brisbane electorate of Stafford on May 16 after independent Jimmy Sullivan was found dead in his home a week ago.
The 44-year-old’s death was not treated as suspicious.
Speaking at a service station in the electorate on Friday, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the by-election was a chance for people to show their support for his government’s plan to drill for oil.
The Liberal National government has flagged a proposal to open Australia’s first oil field in half a century at Taroom Trough, west of Brisbane.
“It is an opportunity for the people of Stafford to send a message that they do back our plan for us to ensure we have our own fuel supply,” Mr Crisafulli said of the by-election.
“And also to send a message to Labor and the Greens, who are finding every reason to stand in the way, that that’s not acceptable.”
Mr Crisafulli claimed the state was in discussions to build a second refinery in Queensland to service the potential development of oil reserves amid the fuel crisis.
Multiple sites were being investigated in the Gladstone region north of Brisbane, he said.
The premier backed claims the Taroom Trough represented a generational opportunity to ensure the state’s sovereign capability by reducing its dependence on fuel imports.
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has rejected calls to fast-track environmental approval for the project on the basis national interest exemptions were not available for fossil fuels.
Mr Crisafulli called for the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which was updated in December, to be amended to allow the project to proceed.
However, Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles took aim at the LNP’s handling of the fuel crisis while visiting the state’s only current oil refinery at Lytton on Friday.
“Queenslanders are sitting around the dinner table talking about how to make ends meet, talking about how they will be able to afford to fill their car with petrol,” he said.
The LNP and Labor have yet to settle on their candidates for Stafford.
Electoral Commissioner Pat Vidgen said nominations would open at 9am on Saturday and close at midday on April 24, with early voting from May 5.
The by-election date was confirmed a week after Mr Sullivan’s death.
Mr Sullivan moved to the crossbench after he was expelled from the Labor caucus in May.
In October 2024, Labor leader and former premier Steven Miles directed Mr Sullivan to take leave while he attended to legal and medical issues.
Source: Michael West Read More