December 14, 2015
The LNP State Executive has voted to stop Member for Groom Ian Macfarlane from swapping to the National Party, despite his local Branch approving the move at the weekend.
Recently elected president Gary Spence said the decision had been made after taking into consideration the best interests of the party.
If Mr Macfarlane’s move had been approved on Monday, he would have sat in the Nationals’ party room in Canberra. This would have given the party the right to claim another Cabinet seat, based on the Coalition agreement.
Ian Macfarlane was born in Kingaroy and was president of the then-Queensland Grain Growers Association before being elected to Parliament in 1998.
He served as Industry and Science Minister for two years in the Abbott Government before losing the position in the Cabinet re-shuffle which followed Malcolm Turnbull’s ascension to the role of Prime Minister.
He told the ABC he would make an announcement about his future in Federal Parliament in the New Year.
Wow! Who have the Nats got in mind for this seat?