A by-election was held in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland seat of Southport on 20 June 1987. It was triggered by the death of sitting National Party member Doug Jennings on 9 April 1987, which until the death of Duncan Pegg in 2021, remained the most recent time a sitting Queensland MP has died. The seat was formerly a Liberal seat until 1980, and the by-election took place in the midst of the Joh for Canberra push. However, the campaign dwelled almost entirely on local matters.[1]
Candidates
editThe Nationals selected Mick Veivers, a rugby league identity and acknowledged Sir Joh supporter, while the Liberals selected Keith Thompson, a City of Gold Coast alderman. Perennial independent candidate William Aabraham-Steer, who had contested McPherson and Moncrieff at various federal elections, also contested.[1]
Results
editThe seat was retained by the National Party with the election of candidate and Australian former rugby league international Mick Veivers.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | Mick Veivers | 7,164 | 46.20 | −4.72 | |
| Liberal | Keith Thompson | 3,928 | 25.33 | +1.80 | |
| Labor | Robert Lee | 3,806 | 24.54 | +2.26 | |
| Independent | Jim McDonagh | 490 | 3.16 | +3.16 | |
| Independent | William Aabraham-Steer | 118 | 0.76 | +0.76 | |
| Total formal votes | 15,506 | 97.93 | −0.28 | ||
| Informal votes | 327 | 2.07 | +0.28 | ||
| Turnout | 15,833 | 74.52 | −14.56 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| National | Mick Veivers | 10,530 | 67.91 | ||
| Labor | Robert Lee | 4976 | 32.09 | ||
| National hold | Swing | ||||