{"id":674169,"date":"2026-05-16T06:21:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T06:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/674169\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T06:21:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T06:21:24","slug":"voters-head-to-polls-for-by-election-in-brisbane-seat-of-stafford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/674169\/","title":{"rendered":"Voters head to polls for by-election in Brisbane seat of Stafford"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s polling day for voters in the electorate of Stafford in Brisbane’s north, in a by-election battle fought on fuel and health.<\/p>\n

The contest was triggered by the death of former Labor and independent MP Jimmy Sullivan.<\/a><\/p>\n

The poll is expected to come down to Labor’s Luke Richmond, recent party assistant state secretary, and the LNP’s Fiona Hammond, a former Brisbane City councillor.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Polls have opened in Brisbane’s Stafford by-election. (ABC News: Niddal Mustafa)<\/p>\n

See results of the Stafford by-election from 6pm here<\/a><\/p>\n

Voters will choose who represents the seat of Stafford in Queensland parliament.<\/p>\n

Mr Richmond said the campaign had been “one of the great joys of my life”.<\/p>\n

While Ms Hammond conceded it was a “Labor seat”, she predicted the contest was “going to be close”.<\/p>\n

Labor has won Stafford in nine of the last 10 elections.<\/p>\n

However, its margin was cut to just over 5 per cent at the 2024 state election, which Ms Hammond unsuccessfully contested.<\/p>\n

\"Luke<\/p>\n

Luke Richmond has most recently been the assistant state secretary of Queensland Labor. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)<\/p>\n

Almost 42 per cent of voters cast their ballot early, with 13,644 at early voting stations and 3,728 as postal votes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Residents on Friday told the ABC issues important to them included health care, the cost of living, and infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Voters have their say<\/p>\n

With polls having opened at 8am, Stafford locals have spent the morning casting their votes.<\/p>\n

Voter Marty said community safety was his top concern when considering who to vote for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We’ve had a lot of friends and family that have had violent home invasions, so the most important thing for us is safe communities and safe streets,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“So I’m supporting the Liberals today.”<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Voters are heading to the polls, citing concerns about crime, fuel, and health care. (ABC News: Niddal Mustafa)<\/p>\n

Jarrod, a local teacher, said he had changed his vote since the last state election in 2024.<\/p>\n

“Last election I went LNP mainly for the stadium, and now I’m voting Labor for a pay rise for teachers,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Cost of living is definitely the big thing at the moment \u2026 but I’m not sure if either of them can do anything about it.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Labor voter Jarrod says he wants to see teachers get a pay rise. (ABC News: Niddal Mustafa)<\/p>\n

Things have become heated at a polling place between Premier David Crisafulli and the Queensland Socialists candidate for Stafford, Liam Parry.<\/p>\n

Mr Parry was charged with reciting the phrase “from the river to the sea”<\/a> at a pro-Palestine protest in March.<\/p>\n

In an edited video posted by the Queensland Socialists to social media, Mr Parry can be seen questioning the premier over his government’s speech laws.<\/p>\n

Hate speech laws passed in Queensland Parliament<\/a><\/p>\n

Sweeping new hate speech laws banning certain expressions in a way that makes a member of the public feel menaced, harassed or offended have passed in Queensland Parliament.<\/p>\n

“Why do you think it’s legitimate to take away people’s free speech?” Mr Parry asked.<\/p>\n

The phrases “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada” were deemed antisemitic by the government and some sections of the Jewish community and outlawed in Queensland when used to menace or offend someone.<\/p>\n

Mr Crisafulli attempted to avoid the exchange, repeatedly telling Mr Parry “not today”.<\/p>\n

A staffer for Mr Crisafulli can be seen telling Mr Parry the premier was “busy”, prompting further comment by Mr Parry.<\/p>\n

“Busy? I’m busy being dragged through court by you and your government,” he said.<\/p>\n

The premier’s office declined to comment on the video.<\/p>\n

Health versus fuel<\/p>\n

Labor has attempted to make the contest a referendum on health, claiming the government is cutting beds at the local hospital, a claim the LNP disputed.<\/p>\n

The LNP has campaigned heavily on fuel, with a host of announcements in recent weeks to secure the state’s long-term fuel sovereignty.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Former Brisbane city councillor Fiona Hammond ran for the LNP at the 2024 state election. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)<\/p>\n

Premier David Crisafulli said the LNP was the “underdog”.<\/p>\n

“But we’ve got a really good candidate, and we are spelling out a vision as a government, and I think that is in contrast to what people see from the other side.”<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

The LNP has been campaigning heavily on fuel. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)<\/p>\n

In parliament this week, the government attempted to paint anything less than a double-digit swing to Labor as an indictment on Steven Miles as leader.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Friday, Mr Miles dismissed those attacks.<\/p>\n

“The result of this by-election won’t change the government, and it won’t change the Labor leadership.”<\/p>\n

Nine candidates in total are contesting the poll, including the Greens’ Jess Lane, after securing around 18 per cent of the primary vote at the last state election.<\/p>\n

\"Jess<\/p>\n

Jess Lane, running for the Greens, is among nine candidates contesting the by-election. (Supplied)<\/p>\n

The Greens are running an open ticket, choosing not to direct voters on how to number their preferences.<\/p>\n

One Nation is a notable omission from the contest, stating its focus is on the next state election in 2028.<\/p>\n

Stafford recorded a strong turnout of just over 90 per cent in the 2024 election.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Stafford has historically been a safe Labor seat. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)<\/p>\n

But Queensland Electoral Commissioner Pat Vidgen said he was concerned based on the early voting figures.<\/p>\n

“Based on the current trend, the electorate is tracking toward 80 per cent, which would be a significant drop off from 2024,” Mr Vidgen said.<\/p>\n

“We know everyone’s lives are busy, and it can be difficult to take time to vote, but it is important for as many people as possible to have their say in choosing the next member for Stafford.”<\/p>\n

Polls in the electorate close at 6pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s polling day for voters in the electorate of Stafford in Brisbane’s north, in a by-election battle fought…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674170,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,38323,325189,1788,49264,325190,44,84,94,110354,701,205856,46942,325188,7239],"class_list":["post-674169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-by-election","tag-fiona-hammond","tag-labor","tag-lnp","tag-luke-richmond","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-qld","tag-qld-politics","tag-queensland","tag-queensland-politics","tag-stafford","tag-stafford-by-election","tag-state-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}