We're Off To The Polls

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has called a general election, and voters will head to the polls on September 9.

Mr Beattie was forced to choose between an early election and a by-election, after the Member for Bundaberg, Nita Cunningham, announced her resignation due to ill health.

He visited the Governor this morning to notify her of his intention to hold an election.

"I would much have preferred to have gone through to February for a general election," he said.

"What was clearly in the best interests of Queensland was to have a general election so we could deliver the water grid."

The ABC's election analyst, Antony Green, predicts the pendulum will swing back to the middle in this election.

"I think the real interesting thing is to see if there's a bit of a swing back towards normality - the last two elections have been landslides," he said.

Mr Beattie will be seeking a fourth term, while it is Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg's second election as leader.

Health will be a major election issue, with Mr Springborg seizing on the latest medical scandal, the employment of a convicted rapist in the public hospital system.

"I think it goes to show that things are getting worse in Queensland not better under this Labor Government," he said.

-From ABC News Online

Things are hardly certain for the incumbent Labor party this time around. As a diehard lefty, and someone who lived to tell of life under Joh, it galls me to think of the Coalition in power in this state again, but, jeez.... anyone in power for too long is a bad thing, and our Pete is showing us why.