Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 19 September 1992 to elect the 89 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.

The Labor Party led by Wayne Goss was reelected for a second term with a strong majority government. The election effectively confirmed the status quo, although the ALP lost a small percentage of votes and four seats. Three of those were new seats which were nominally Labor following the redistribution.

This was the first election in many decades in which a zonal system of electoral representation did not exist. The previous parliament had legislated for a "one vote one value" electoral redistribution, in which almost all the 89 electoral districts were to have similar numbers of electors (within a 10% margin of the mean). The only exceptions were electorates that had areas of at least 100,000 square kilometres. The number of electors in each of those electorates was increased by 2% of the total area of the electorate expressed in square kilometres, to ensure that the number of electors in the affected electorates was within 10% of the mean enrolment. This election also saw the introduction of optional preferential voting (replacing compulsory full-preferential voting) in Queensland elections, which would remain in place until the 2016 electoral reforms of the Palaszczuk government.

Although Labor suffered a small swing against it in north Queensland, that was slightly masked by the abolition of the zonal system.

Key dates Date Event 25 August 1992 Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. 29 August 1992 Close of electoral rolls. 1 September 1992 Close of nominations. 19 September 1992 Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. 24 September 1992 The Goss Ministry was reconstituted. 31 October 1992 The writ was returned and the results formally declared.

Electoral redistribution A redistribution of electoral boundaries occurred in 1991. The zonal system was abolished, with a weighting added for remote electorates over 100,000km2.

The electorates of Auburn, Balonne, Bowen, Broadsound, Carnarvon, Condamine, Cooroora, Fassifern, Flinders, Glass House, Isis, Landsborough, Manly, Merthyr, Mourilyan, Nundah, Peak Downs, Pine Rivers, Port Curtis, Rockhampton North, Roma, Salisbury, Sherwood, Somerset, South Coast, Stafford, Toowong, Townsville East, Windsor, and Wolston were abolished.

The electorates of Beaudesert, Broadwater, Bundamba, Burleigh, Caloundra, Capalaba, Charters Towers, Chermside, Clayfield, Cleveland, Crows Nest, Ferny Grove, Fitzroy, Gladstone, Hervey Bay, Inala, Indooroopilly, Kallangur, Kedron, Keppel, Kurwongbah, Maroochydore, Merrimac, Mooloolah, Mount Ommaney, Mundingburra, Noosa, Sunnybank, Waterford, and Western Downs were created.

The redistribution added 7 more electorates to Greater Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Sunshine Coast, while leaving 7 less electorates in regional Queensland. Aspley, Clayfield, and Hinchinbrook became notionally Labor-held.

The changes resulted in 59 notionally Labor-held seats, 10 notionally Liberal-held seats, and 20 notionally National-held seats.

Retiring members

Labor

Ron McLean (Bulimba) Bill Prest (Port Curtis) Nev Warburton (Sandgate)

National

Des Booth (Warwick) – Lost preselection Bill Gunn (Somerset) Neville Harper (Auburn) – Lost preselection Bob Katter (Flinders) Don Neal (Balonne)

Results

Seats changing hands

Seat 1991 Redistribution Swing 1992 Election Party Member Margin Margin Member PartyAspley Labornotional 1.10 –2.03 0.93John GossLiberal Broadwater  Liberal notional 4.80 –11.72 6.92 Allan Grice National Burleigh  Liberal notional 3.60 –4.68 1.08 Judy Gamin National Caloundra  National notional¹ 6.20 –8.52 2.32 Joan Sheldon Liberal Charters Towers  Labor Ken Smyth 1.60 –1.96 0.36 Rob Mitchell National Clayfield Labornotional 0.00 –4.08 4.08Santo SantoroLiberal Currumbin  Liberal Trevor Coomber 0.10 –5.91 5.81 Merri Rose Labor Hinchinbrook  Labor Bill Eaton 3.00 –5.26 2.26 Marc Rowell National Keppel  Labor Robert Schwarten 3.30 –4.71 1.41 Vince Lester National Maroochydore  Liberal notional 4.10 –8.12 4.02 Fiona Simpson National Mooloolah  National notional 6.50 –19.38 12.88 Bruce Laming Liberal Mount Ommaney  Liberal David Dunworth 3.70 –4.95 1.25 Peter Pyke Labor Nicklin Liberal notional² 4.00 –11.88 7.88 Neil Turner National Noosa  Labor Ray Barber 2.40 –4.86 2.46 Bruce Davidson Liberal Toowoomba North  Labor John Flynn 0.10 –0.60 0.50 Graham Healy National 

Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election. ¹ Joan Sheldon gained Landsborough for the Liberal Party at the 1990 by-election. The National Party had retained the seat at the 1989 election. ² In 1990, the Court of Disputed Returns overturned the result and declared Neil Turner for the National Party elected in Nicklin. The Liberal Party had originally been declared the winner at the 1989 election.

Post-election pendulum

Labor seats (54)Marginal Hervey BayBill NunnALP0.61% Mount OmmaneyPeter PykeALP1.25% AlbertJohn SzczerbanikALP1.64% GladstoneNeil BennettALP1.99% v IND WhitsundayLorraine BirdALP2.20% MansfieldLaurel PowerALP2.56% MulgraveWarren PittALP3.17% MaryboroughBob DollinALP3.30% Barron RiverLesley ClarkALP4.16% RedlandsJohn BuddALP5.25% SunnybankStephen RobertsonALP5.53% CurrumbinMerri RoseALP5.81%Fairly Safe ThuringowaKen McElligottALP7.13% GreenslopesGary FenlonALP7.24% ClevelandDarryl BriskeyALP7.47% CabooltureJon SullivanALP7.90% RedcliffeRay HollisALP8.55% BundabergClem CampbellALP8.65% SpringwoodMolly RobsonALP8.66% Mount GravattJudy SpenceALP9.17% AshgroveJim FourasALP9.28% MundingburraKen DaviesALP9.40%Safe WaterfordTom BartonALP10.82% CairnsKeith De LacyALP11.14% ChatsworthTerry MackenrothALP11.14% TownsvilleGeoff SmithALP11.17% EvertonRod WelfordALP11.67% ChermsideTerry SullivanALP11.70% FitzroyJim PearceALP12.00% KallangurKen HaywardALP12.11% CookSteve BredhauerALP12.18% Mount Coot-thaWendy EdmondALP12.38% Ipswich WestDon LivingstoneALP12.66% KurwongbahMargaret WoodgateALP13.06% RockhamptonPaul BraddyALP13.08% YerongaMatt FoleyALP13.47% Ferny GroveGlen MillinerALP13.84% MackayEd CaseyALP14.20% CapalabaJim ElderALP14.67% Brisbane CentralPeter BeattieALP14.83% ArcherfieldLen ArdillALP15.19% KedronPat CombenALP16.25% MurrumbaDean WellsALP16.29% SandgateGordon NuttallALP16.43% Mount IsaTony McGradyALP17.59% IpswichDavid HamillALP17.78% South BrisbaneAnne WarnerALP18.49% NudgeeKen VaughanALP18.71% BundambaBob GibbsALP19.80% v IND LyttonTom BurnsALP19.84% Very SafeBulimbaPat PurcellALP20.44%WoodridgeBill D'ArcyALP25.17%LoganWayne GossALP25.34%InalaHenry PalaszczukALP26.43% National seats (26)MarginalCharters TowersRob MitchellNAT0.36%Toowoomba NorthGraham HealyNAT0.50%BurleighJudy GaminNAT1.08%KeppelVince LesterNAT1.41%BurdekinMark StonemanNAT2.05%HinchinbrookMarc RowellNAT2.26%SouthportMick VeiversNAT2.33%Surfers ParadiseRob BorbidgeNAT2.93% v LIBBeaudesertKev LingardNAT3.22%MaroochydoreFiona SimpsonNAT4.02%MiraniJim RandellNAT4.33%Fairly SafeBroadwaterAllan GriceNAT6.92%GympieLen StephanNAT7.63%NicklinNeil TurnerNAT7.88%BurnettDoug SlackNAT9.49%SafeGregoryVaughan JohnsonNAT10.23%Toowoomba SouthMike HoranNAT11.18%WarwickLawrence SpringborgNAT11.43%WarregoHoward HobbsNAT13.57%TablelandsTom GilmoreNAT14.36%LockyerTony FitzgeraldNAT15.09%CunninghamTony ElliottNAT16.37%Crows NestRussell CooperNAT18.58%BarambahTrevor PerrettNAT19.38%Very SafeCallideDi McCauleyNAT25.92% v INDWestern DownsBrian LittleproudNAT26.61%Liberal seats (9)MarginalAspleyJohn GossLIB0.93%CaloundraJoan SheldonLIB2.32%NoosaBruce DavidsonLIB2.46%ClayfieldSanto SantoroLIB4.08%NerangRay ConnorLIB4.84%Fairly SafeIndooroopillyDenver BeanlandLIB6.38%MoggillDavid WatsonLIB9.08%SafeMerrimacBob QuinnLIB10.54%MooloolahBruce LamingLIB12.88%

Subsequent changes

On 31 March 1994, National Party member Jim Randell (Mirani) resigned. At the by-election on 30 April 1994, Ted Malone retained the seat for the National Party.

See also Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1989–1992 Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1992–1995 Candidates of the Queensland state election, 1992 Goss Ministry

References