Regional Economic and Social Conditions: Perception and Reality in Rural New South Wales and Queensland

Title
Regional Economic and Social Conditions: Perception and Reality in Rural New South Wales and Queensland
Publication Date
2003
Author(s)
Sorensen, Anthony
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2457-3770
Email: asorense@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:asorense
Editor
Editor(s): Kenneth B Beesley, Hugh Millward, Brian Ilbery & Lisa Harrington
Type of document
Book Chapter
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Brandon University, Rural Development Institute and Saint Mary's University
Place of publication
Brandon, Canada
Edition
1
UNE publication id
une:982
Abstract
Something is rotten in rural Australia. In the late 1990's it witnessed several electoral revolts by a disaffected rural electorate - the politics of desperation. In the Queensland State election, held in July 1998, the right wing populist One Nation Party came from nowhere to elect 11 out of 89 members of State Parliament, with 22.68% of the primary vote, second behind the Australian Labor Party who now form the government. In October 1998's Federal Poll, One Nation obtained 8.43% of the primary vote nationally, and, as Table 1 shows, the party did particularly well in NSW and Queensland rural districts. It also elected one Queensland Senator. Finally, in March 1999 NSW State election, One Nation held its vote but only received one Legislative Council seat. The main interest in this election was the slump in support for the National (formerly Country) Party, and the election of several populist independent members of parliament in formerly safe National seats. What, then, is the cause of the electoral disaster confronting the National Party, the customary representatives of rural interests? This chapter examines the issue from several competing perspectives.
Link
Citation
The New Countryside: Geographic Perspectives on Rural Change, p. 312-333
ISBN
1895397758
Start page
312
End page
333

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