By-election sparked by MP’s death ignites fuel debate
The by-election, triggered by the sudden death of a member of parliament, appears to be a litmus test of how the state government will manage the fuel crisis.
More than 40,000 Queensland voters will head to the polls in the North Brisbane Stafford constituency on May 16 after independent Jimmy Sullivan was found dead at his home a week ago.
The 44-year-old man’s death was not considered suspicious.
Speaking at a service station in his constituency on Friday, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the by-election was a chance for people to show their support for his government’s oil drilling plan.
The Liberal National government has flagged a proposal to open Australia’s first oil field in half a century at Taroom Trough, west of Brisbane.
Mr Crisafulli said of the by-election: “This is an opportunity for the people of Stafford to send a message that they are backing our plan to ensure we have our own fuel supply.”
“It is also to send a message to Labor and the Greens that this is unacceptable, as they find every reason to get in their way.”
Mr Crisafulli claimed the state was in talks to build a second refinery in Queensland to serve the potential development of oil reserves amid the fuel crisis.
He said a number of sites were being investigated in the Gladstone area north of Brisbane.
Claims that the Taroom Boat represented a generational opportunity to secure the state’s sovereign capacity by reducing its dependence on fuel imports were claims supported by prominent figures.
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has rejected calls to speed up environmental approval for the project due to the lack of national interest exemptions for fossil fuels.
Mr Crisafulli called for the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, updated in December, to be amended to allow the project to proceed.
But Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles took aim at the LNP’s handling of the fuel crisis when he visited the state’s only oil refinery at Lytton on Friday.
“Queenslanders are sitting around the dinner table talking about how they’re going to make a living, talking about how they can afford to fill up their cars,” he said.
The LNP and Labor have yet to agree on Stafford candidates.
Election Commissioner Pat Vidgen said nominations will open at 9 a.m. on Saturday and close at noon on April 24, with early voting beginning on May 5.
The byelection date was confirmed a week after Mr. Sullivan’s death.
Mr Sullivan took the bench after being expelled from the Labor party in May.
In October 2024, Labor leader and former prime minister Steven Miles instructed Mr Sullivan to take leave while he dealt with legal and medical issues.
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