THE SEAT OF LONGMAN

The division of Longman in Queensland consists of parts of Moreton Bay, Somerset and the Sunshine Coast, and is a provincial area. Comprising of industries such as tourism, beef cattle, poultry farms, prawn farms and various crops, it was named in honour of Irene Longman, who was the first woman elected to Queensland Parliament.

Ms Susan Lamb, of the Labor party, was the incumbent MP until May of 2018, when she resigned due to not having renounced her British citizenship prior to her election in 2016.

Elected to the House of Representatives for Longman in the 2016 Federal election, Ms Lamb won the seat with a 0.8% margin. She additionally served on the Standing Committees for Social Policy and Legal Affairs, Publications, and Employment, Education and Training during her Federal term. Prior to her career in politics, Ms Lamb spent ten years as a teacher’s aide, while also taking a leading organisational role in the trade union United Voice.

Mr Trevor Ruthenberg (Liberal Party) served as the state member for the seat of Kallangur from 2012–2015, and is currently the CEO of the not-for-profit Mosaic Foundation. Mr Ruthenberg served the Australian

Defence Force for six years, training as an aeronautical ground engineer before working overseas in the automation industry. Mr Ruthenberg’s by-election campaign has advocated for the Turnbull Government’s income tax plan, the improvement of community safety and the need for an ice action plan. Mr Ruthenberg was recently embroiled in controversy for repeatedly listing the incorrect military service medal in his parliamentary biographies.

At the 2016 election, Ms Lamb defeated the incumbent Mr Wyatt Roy with a margin of 0.8% (approximately 1,400 votes). As Longman is such a marginal electorate, there is expected to be a strong vote for minor parties and independents, with One Nation polling strongly in the area at 9.4%, and its candidate Matthew Stephen’s preferences will be critical to the eventual outcome. Longman voters have been inundated with political visits to their seat, with four visits from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and two from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull since the beginning of July.