Lawrence Springborg is a Queensland National Party politician, and Leader of the Opposition in that State.

Like most National Party politicians, Springborg has a rural background, being born and raised on a farm in southern Queensland.

Parliamentary Career

In 1989 Springborg became the youngest person elected to the Parliament of Queensland, winning the safe Nationals seat of Carnarvon, on the Darling Downs. In the same year, the 32-year reign of the Nationals at a State level drew to a close. Springborg represented a new generation of Nationals not associated with the era of long-serving former Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and the allegations of corruption and maladministration arising from the Fitzgerald Inquiry. Subsequent redistributions forced Lawrence to relocate to his current seat of Southern Downs.

The Nationals remained in opposition until 1995, when the Goss Labor government lost office and the reformed National-Liberal coalition came to power under Rob Borbidge. In 1998, shortly before the Borbidge government lost office, Springborg was sworn in as Minister for Natural Resources, again setting a record as Queensland's youngest ever minister.

The 2001 state elections saw a massive win for the Labor Party, with Premier Peter Beattie going from a one-seat to twenty-two seat majority, and the Nationals reduced to 12 seats out of the 89-seat Parliament. After the election loss, the Coalition with the Liberals broke off and Springborg was elected Deputy Opposition Leader.

Borbidge subsequently resigned as Leader of the Nationals and his place was taken by Mike Horan , father of Australian Rugby Union player Tim Horan. Horan proved to be ineffective against the popular and charismatic Beattie, and after widespread speculation and criticism of his Leadership, the Nationals elected Springborg as leader in 2003. Springborg immediately set about refashioning the state Coalition with the Liberals and attempting to re-energise his party. He campaigned energetically to raise his profile as a young and vigorous leader.

2004 Election

The campaign in the 2004 State Elections relied heavily on Springborg's personal profile. He literally ran for much of the campaign, appearing jogging through State forests on electoral advertising emphasising his physical fitness. The Nationals marketed Springborg merchandise extensively, including life-size cardboard cutouts. In a move unthinkable for Nationals of an earlier era, he appeared in a Courier-Mail photograph clad only in a towel and ironing his own shirt.

Springborg's family life attracted some comment when media observers criticised his wife for not appearing alongside him during the campaign. Springborg angrily defended his wife's decision to stay home and care for their young family.

Throughout the campaign, Liberal leader Bob Quinn appeared at Springborg's side, intended to emphasise Coalition unity, but underlining for Liberal supporters their resentment at what they saw as their "second-fiddle" status.

Despite scandals involving electricity and child protection, as well as a motorway through the Gold Coast, an issue which destroyed the Goss Government, the Beattie Government was elected with its substantial majority almost completely intact. The Nationals gained a total of three extra seats and the Liberal-National Coalition, despite the efforts of both parties' leaders, again broke down.

Conservative Merger

The failure of the two conservative parties to sign a new Coalition Agreement convinced Springborg of the need to merge the Liberals and Nationals at a state level. Presenting a proposal modelled on the Conservative Party of Canada, Springborg went about campaigning through 2004 for the support of both state party organisations in creating a new unified party.

The rural-based Nationals have historically been the dominant conservative force in Queensland, but increased urbanisation has meant that the Liberals have repeatedly attempted to gain dominance. "Three-cornered contests", where Liberal and National Party candidates compete for seats seperately against Labor candidates and split the conservative vote, are common in Queensland. This situation is made worse by the fact that the state's Optional Preferential Voting system operates effectively as a first-past-the-post system and prevents Liberal and National candidates supporting each other by preferences. Relations between the two parties are tepid, as witnessed by the repeated failure of coalition agreements. The Liberal Party itself is bitterly divided within the state, and internal factional brawls are often acrimonious.

Springborg's proposal ran into early hurdles when John Howard, John Anderson, and other Federal Coalition identities dismissed the idea of a state-level merger. Bob Quinn and the state Liberals reacted cautiously, ultimately rebuffing Springborg's efforts. However, Springborg did attract strong support for the idea from the National Party at a State organisational level, with the Central Executive supporting his proposal in February 2005. Some within the state Liberal Party have also reacted positively and Springborg continues to push his proposal at as many forums as possible.

External Links

• Personal Website