March 2, 2017
Former Deputy Premier and Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney announced in Parliament on Thursday he will not be re-contesting the seat of Callide at the next State Election.
Callide currently takes in all the South Burnett north of Wooroolin, as well the North Burnett.
Under the proposed boundary changes, Callide will contract further north above Goomeri, but will extend southwards, wrapping around the seat of Nanango to also include Chinchilla, Bell and part of the Bunya Mountains.
Mr Seeney, 60, told the House it was time for someone younger to take on the challenge of Callide, especially as the redistribution had made the seat even larger.
He would also be able to spend more time with his grandchildren.
Mr Seeney was elected to State Parliament in 1998 following the retirement of Nationals’ MP Di McCauley.
Prior to becoming a MP, he was a councillor on Monto Shire Council for six years, including a term as Deputy Mayor, and also served as chairman of BIEDO.
Mr Seeney served two stints as Opposition Leader, from 2006-2008 and from 2011-2012 (including a period as “interim” leader when Campbell Newman had not yet been elected to government).
When the Newman Government won the 2012 poll in a landslide, Mr Seeney was appointed Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning – roles he held until the State Election in 2015.
After the LNP’s election loss, he took up a position on the Opposition back benches.
In February last year, he flirted with the idea of standing in the Federal seat of Wide Bay with the imminent retirement of Deputy PM Warren Truss, but pulled out of the pre-selection contest a month later.
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls released a statement shortly after Mr Seeney’s announcement:
“I personally want to pay tribute and thank Jeff Seeney for his colossal contribution to public life in Queensland,” he said.
“Jeff is one of the great believers in Queensland, in its future and in our Parliament.
“Jeff and I have stood shoulder to shoulder and fought many battles together, none more so than fighting Labor’s sale of Queensland Rail in 2010. A fight that took us into the early hours of the morning and saw a full use of Jeff’s mastery of the Standing Orders of Parliament.
“Queensland, especially regional Queensland, is better off for Jeff’s devotion and presence in Parliament.
“Since I first entered the Parliament, Jeff Seeney has been both a mentor and my great friend.
“I pay tribute to Therese Seeney. Behind all of us is a family which puts up with our absences, our constant communication and our need to have a broader family of some 30,000 voters in each of our electorates.
“I look forward to working with Jeff as he continues to represent the people of Callide and be part of the team that is determined to see the LNP returned to government at the next election.”
