Townsville Bulletin – Ian Frazer – Time to get the

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Time to get
the party started
Hundreds of ordinary people are doing the hard slog on
the streets in a bid to get their candidate into power By Ian Frazer
THE
Sam Cox foot-soldier waving
his poster at traffic in the
rain last Thursday morning
learnt his politics in PNG.
Peter Sandery, 66, a retired public
servant, is often joined by Pauline
Cox, the LNP candidate's mum, at
peak hour on the corner of Thuringowa
Drive and Ross River Rd.
But Mr Sandery braved the rain
alone on Thursday, under a straw
hat, reminding commuters of his
young friend's quest to win Thuringowa
for the LNP.
He is among hundreds of Townsville
rank-and-file members and
supporters of all political ilk nearing
the end of the battle for March
24's State Election.
John Skerratt, 67, a retired communications'
engineer, also took to
the roadside last weekend for his
cause re-election of Labor MP for
Townsville Mandy Johnstone.
Mr Skerratt helped run a stall for
Ms Johnstone beside Kings Rd,
Hyde Park, last Saturday morning.
A Labor Party member since 1972,
he joined the party's Hermit Park
branch after he and his wife,
Marilyn, joined their extended family
in Townsville three years ago.
This is their first Queensland election
campaign.
Lorraine Pattel, 48, a public servant,
juggles her passion for
Katter's Australia Party with full-
Townsville Bulletin, Townsville QLD
10 Mar 2012
NQ Life, page 6 - 1,200.00 cm²
Regional - circulation 27,998 (MTWTFS-)
ID 00137150344 PAGE 1 of 3
time work.
Ms Pattel, campaign manager for
Ray Grigg, the party's candidate for
Townsville, says she can rely on
help from 60 or so members and
supporters on the day.
Formed just four months ago, the
party boasts several hundred members
in the Townsville district.
Canberra commentators say Australians
are generally jaded with
politics, but party members and
supporters interviewed in Townsville
this week have challenged this
view.
The major political parties have
candidates in all five Townsville
district seats: Townsville,
Mundingburra, Thuringowa, Burdekin
and Hinchinbrook.
The relatively small number of
independents none in the local
electorates can be seen as confirmation
that interest in party politics
is still strong.
A near-record 430 people are standing
in 89 seats.
Labor, the Liberal-National Party
and Greens have candidates in all
electorates, Katter's Australia Party
has nominated in 76 seats and Family
First in 38.
Just 43 independents have risked
their $250 deposit.
Quantifying party membership in
the North is difficult, given local
officials' reluctance to give a break-
down of figures.
The Labor Party's dwindling membership
Australia-wide is well
known, as is the recruitment strategy
thrashed out in a national review
last year.
The party reportedly aims to sign
on 8000 new members this year, in
view of a decline in total membership
from 370,000 to 7500 between
1939 and 2005.
Gary Johns, a former Federal
Labor Minister, predicted in The
Australian last year that membership
would remain small.
"There is no point in joining unless
you intend to run or be employed,"
he wrote.
While numbers for Townsville
branches could not be obtained for
this story, party officials are confident
of help from 200 or so members
and supporters on election day.
Mandy Johnstone's campaign director
Russell Carr says he can
count on at least 70 to hand out howto-vote
cards at Townsville electorate
booths.
Mr Carr, a union leader and husband
of Labor's retiring

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Mundingburra MP Lindy Nelson-
Carr feels interest in politics is just
as strong as when he joined three
decades ago. "Political interest
comes in cycles," he said.
"Sometimes parties are popular,
sometimes they are not. Even in the
low times 40 per cent of the people
are supporting your party."
A senior LNP member estimated
local membership this week at more
than 200 and growing.
He said the merger of Liberal and
National parties had been seamless
in the North.
Former members of both parties
were united in their mission to oust
the Bligh Labor Government, he
said.
The Greens' campaign in Townsville
has relied on 20 members and
another 20 or so supporters, according
to party spokesperson Jenny
Stirling.
Ms Stirling, who is running for
Townsville Bulletin, Townsville QLD
10 Mar 2012
NQ Life, page 6 - 1,200.00 cm²
Regional - circulation 27,998 (MTWTFS-)
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election in the seat of Townsville,
believes TV, radio and letters to the
editor are a better way to reach
voters than letterbox drops (see
separate story).
Michael Punshon, Family First's
North Queensland regional director,
declined to give membership statistics
but claimed numbers had increased
dramatically since 2006.
Mr Punshon, an aeronautical engineer,
also running for Townsville,
said he had a "good crew" for
distributing pamphlets.
Meanwhile, Peter Sandery, a former
PNG patrol officer and Milne
Bay provincial assembly member,
plans to maintain his street corner
vigil for Sam Cox until the day of
the election.
"I joined the LNP when I saw this
state going down the same track as
PNG," he said this week, explaining
his return to the political fray.
Canberra
commentators say
Australians are
generally jaded with
politics, but party
members and
supporters interviewed
in Townsville this week
challenged this view.
The major political
parties have
candidates in all five
Townsville district
seats: Townsville,
Mundingburra,
Thuringowa, Burdekin
and Hinchinbrook

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LNP candidate fqt.
Thuringowa Sam r_ox. hack
row, right, with his team
1116rFrI71.1-
Townsville Bulletin, Townsville QLD
10 Mar 2012
NQ Life, page 6 - 1,200.00 cm²
Regional - circulation 27,998 (MTWTFS-)
ID 00137150344 PAGE 3 of 3