Race is on

THE race is on for the Federal seat of Maranoa as four candidates face an uphill battle to rival LNP incumbent Bruce Scott.
It was the announcement Australia had been waited for when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd locked in 7 September as the Federal Election polling day last weekend.
While candidates have already been busy campaigning across the electorate their efforts are about to double with policies ranging from better treatment of farmers, road improvements and tackling the supermarket duopoly – to name a few.
The ALP has backed Nick Cedric-Thompson; Grant Newson will again run for The Greens; fledgling Clive Palmer’s United Party has backed John Bjelke-Petersen; and John Spellman will stand for Family First.
Maranoa covers a large part of southern Queensland, stretching from Toowoomba council area (although not the city of Toowoomba itself) along the NSW border; to the South Australian and Northern Territory borders.
The seat has been held by Mr Scott since 1990, after Ian Cameron of the National Country Party retired.
Mr Scott won the seat under the National Party banner and now as a member of the Liberal National Party.
He won the Federal seat of Maranoa in a landslide victory during the 2010 election after he received almost 73 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote – with his nearest rival ALP candidate Geoff Keating achieving 27 per cent.
The Free Times contacted each of the candidates, including incumbent Bruce Scott, to get a brief insight into their campaign commitments. Full story, Page 5.