Michelle Landry, the Nationals' Chief Whip and Member for Capricornia, will retire at the next federal election. Her exit opens a Lower House seat for Nationals leader Matt Canavan, a Queensland senator. Canavan has said he would do whatever it takes to keep his party strong and would stand if required. The seat is held on a 5.8 per cent margin, and One Nation is seen as a major threat. Canavan must weigh the risk of leaving his safer Senate position for a seat the party might lose.
One Nation national director James Ashby has not ruled out running for the federal seat of Capricornia in central Queensland. He said business and community members have asked him to run, and the party's Capricornia branch will make the final decision. The move follows the retirement of long-serving MP Michelle Landry, which opens the seat to a new contest. One Nation's national primary vote has risen, with a recent poll placing it just behind Labor and ahead of the Coalition.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan has not confirmed he will switch from the Senate to contest the lower house seat of Capricornia. Michelle Landry announced on Friday she will not recontest the northern Queensland seat at the 2028 election, citing heavy travel demands and family. Speculation has grown that Senator Canavan could make the move, which would avoid a tough Senate fight with One Nation, whose support is rising in the polls. Canavan said the LNP would take time to work out its position and that membership would decide who represents them.
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A path has opened for Nationals leader Matt Canavan to enter the House of Representatives by contesting the Queensland seat of Capricornia at the 2028 election. The move follows Michelle Landry's announcement that she will retire at the next election. Landry and Canavan appeared together at a press conference in Rockhampton, though Canavan has not formally declared his bid. He has previously said he would consider leaving the Senate for a lower house vacancy. Landry, the seat's member since 2013, cited the heavy travel demands of the electorate as a key reason, and denied being pushed out.
Capricornia MP Michelle Landry has announced she will retire from federal politics at the next election. Her departure could allow Nationals leader Matt Canavan to move from the Senate to the House of Representatives. Ms Landry, who has held the seat since 2013, said it was the right time to step aside. She pointed to funding for the Rookwood Weir and the Rockhampton Hospital car park among her achievements. Canavan said Ms Landry had been a strong advocate for the region, and he did not confirm whether he would seek the LNP nomination for Capricornia in 2028.
Queensland MP Michelle Landry has announced she will retire from federal politics at the 2028 federal election. She has held the central Queensland seat of Capricornia since 2013. Nationals leader Matt Canavan, a senator, attended the announcement in Rockhampton but did not say whether he would seek preselection for the seat. Ms Landry said she would not nominate a successor, leaving that to the party. She also criticised One Nation, which could pose a serious challenge to the LNP in the seat.
Federal Nationals MP Michelle Landry is set to announce her retirement from politics on Friday, according to several LNP sources. Her office said she would make a significant announcement alongside Senator Matt Canavan. Canavan, the Nationals leader, is expected to nominate as the LNP candidate for the Queensland seat of Capricornia, which Landry has held since 2013. Canavan has said he would do whatever it takes to hold the seat as One Nation surges in the polls.
Detectives from the Rockhampton Criminal Investigation Branch are investigating a series of suspicious grass fires in the Gracemere, Mount Morgan and Dululu areas. The fires were lit between August and October and are believed to have been deliberately started. Detectives believe the incidents may be linked. Emergency services extinguished the fires, and no one was injured. Anyone with information or video that could help identify those involved is asked to come forward.
