Young mum, Sophie Evans braved the wet weather to vote. The Gleneagle resident said voting was important to her because if she didn’t vote she “wouldn’t have the right to whinge about what politicians were doing wrong”.
Canungra resident, Marc Riley with one-year-old daughter, Florence, braved the rain to vote. “To me, it’s better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t,” he said.
One Nation volunteer James Darby - said he supported ‘Keith Hicks and the fight for freedom’.
This is the first year Janis Bailey has volunteered for The Greens on Election Day. She said she supported the party because she found it’s environmental policies inspiring.
Despite recently injuring himself in a motorbike accident, Beaudesert resident Brynn Sinnerton and wife Rebecca, made the trip to vote.
Helen Evens (in yellow) is a first time volunteer for the United Australia Party. The 70-year-old said “it was time to stand up for freedom”. Paul Henselin (orange) volunteered for One Nation’s Beaudesert voter information stand. He said he supported sitting candidate Keith Hicks, who was fighting to protect Australia’s democracy.
BOONAH residents showed up to vote on Saturday, despite the rain and flooded streets.
For some it was an act they’d been doing for more than six decades.
Boonah resident, Doreen Clarke, is 80 years old and made the trip, umbrella in hand and wearing sensible shoes. The spritely octogenarian, dressed in a warm lilac cardigan, was all smiles when the Fassifern Guardian asked to take her photograph.
The question “what do you hope your vote will achieve” was put to her and her answer was straight to the point.
“I’ve been voting for years and nothing that has been promised eventuates. All politicians are the same.”
Then away she went, following the steady stream of people into the voting area to cast their ballots.
The seat of Wright has 123,884 voters registered on its election enrolment list, in an area that includes Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Beaudesert.
Elected to the House of Representatives for Wright in 2010, Liberal MP for Wright, Scott Buchholz still holds the position having been re-elected in 2013, 2016 and 2019.
Despite holding a seemingly solid seat, Mr Buchholz said he never took re-election as a ‘given’.
“I take nothing for granted,” said Mr Buchholz as he stood outside Boonah’s voting centre on Saturday.
“I have been humbled by the high number of volunteers we’ve had support us when it comes to running this election.
“I have been working hard within my electorate, it’s been hit consistently by floods and natural disasters.
“There is always more to be done and I’m up for it, I’m getting it done.”
Mr Buchholz said the recent rain events were ‘not over yet’, and he would be tackling the hard tasks when it comes to getting small business and landowners back on their feet.
“In Laidley alone more than 200 homes were hit,” he said.
“I have been travelling all over my electorate, visiting residents and businesses. We have a diverse and wide electoral area.
“I want to apologise to those who haven’t had a chance to shake my hand and meet me yet. I haven’t forgotten about you, I haven’t been sitting on my laurels, there is a lot to do and I’m getting it done.”
Wright’s Labor candidate, Pam McCreadie, was also on the road campaigning hard for a win. Ms McCreadie made time to chat face-to-face with those living within Wright’s borders, hoping to warm them up to the idea of a Labor MP winning the seat.
She said as a long-time local, she understood the need for investment in local roads and health services.
Ms McCreadie said she would put local jobs first by investing in Australian manufacturing and industry.
Voter numbers on the ground waned through Beaudesert and into Canungra as wet weather and several methods of ballot casting were utilised by those unable to attend physical polling stations.
Early voting options were used, postal and mobile voting also meant less boots on the ground at physical polling places on Saturday.
Telephone voting for those who had tested positive for COVID-19, also played a role when it came to low attendance numbers at voting centres.
Despite this, most people used their right to vote and had a say in the democratic process.
