# 2024 Inala state by-election

A by-election for the electoral district of Inala in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland was held on 16 March 2024 following the resignation of former Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk from parliament, which was announced on 10 December 2023 and took effect on 31 December 2023. The by-election was held on the same day as the Ipswich West by-election and the statewide local government elections.

## Background
### Seat details

The electoral district of Inala was established in 1990 following one vote one value electoral reforms by Wayne Goss and was contested for the first time at the 1992 Queensland state election. Throughout its existence, Inala has been a stronghold for the Queensland Labor Party. The seat was initially held by Henry Palaszczuk, who had transferred from Archerfield, and he served as Inala's Member of Parliament until the 2006 Queensland state election, where he was succeeded by his daughter Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Inala has consistently been a safe seat for Labor, often the safest for the party in the state. In the 2012 Queensland state election Inala was one of only 7 seats retained by Labor. Palaszczuk experienced a significant decline in her primary vote and a 14% swing against her in the Two-party-preferred vote, this being the first time since the seat's establishment where Labor did not obtain a majority in the primary vote. Her margin of victory was reduced to 6.2%. Palaszczuk was subsequently appointed as Labor leader and led the party back to government in the 2015 Queensland state election.
Under the Palaszczuk government, Inala reverted to its traditional status as a comfortably safe Labor seat. Palaszczuk was re-elected in Inala in 2015 with an increased majority of 25%, making it the second-safest seat in the state. Her lead was increased in the 2017 and 2020 elections to 26.1% and 28.1% respectively.

### Demographics

Inala is located in the southwestern suburbs of Brisbane. According to the 2021 Australian Census, the electorate has a median age of 34, which is lower than both the state and national averages. 18.8% of the electorate hold a Bachelor's degree, which is lower than the state and national averages. The average personal weekly income is $659.
The electorate has a racially diverse demographic, including a significant percentage of Vietnamese Australians. Approximately 15.6 percent of households speak the Vietnamese language, and 14.4 percent of residents identify as having Vietnamese ancestry.

## Previous results

Two-party-preferred vote in Inala, 1992–2020 :
| Election | Election | 1992 | 1995 | 1998 | 2001 | 2004 | 2006 | 2009 | 2012 | 2015 | 2017 | 2020 |
| | Labor | 76.40% | 68.90% | 77.40% | 71.50% | 81.00% | 76.30% | 71.50% | 56.90% | 75.12% | 76.10% | 78.17% |
| | Liberal/LNP | 23.60% | 31.10% | 22.60% | — | 19.00% | 23.70% | 28.50% | 43.10% | 24.88% | 23.90% | 21.83% |
| | Independent | — | — | — | 28.50% | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Government | Government | ALP | ALP | ALP | ALP | ALP | ALP | ALP | LNP | ALP | ALP | ALP |
2020 Queensland state election: Inala :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Annastacia Palaszczuk | 19,888 | 67.42 | −0.54 |
| | Liberal National | Miljenka Perovic | 4,879 | 16.54 | −4.15 |
| | Greens | Peter Murphy | 2,275 | 7.71 | −3.63 |
| | One Nation | Scott Reid | 1,341 | 4.55 | +4.55 |
| | Legalise Cannabis | Nigel Quinlan | 734 | 2.49 | +2.49 |
| | Independent | Terry Jones | 197 | 0.67 | +0.67 |
| | Civil Liberties & Motorists | Michael Vidal | 183 | 0.62 | +0.62 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 29,497 | 95.10 | +2.25 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,521 | 4.90 | −2.25 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,018 | 86.85 | +0.27 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Annastacia Palaszczuk | 23,057 | 78.17 | +2.07 |
| | Liberal National | Miljenka Perovic | 6,440 | 21.83 | −2.07 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | +2.07 | |

## Candidates

| Party | Candidate | Notes |
| Independent | Linh Nguyen | |
| Independent Democrats | Chris Simpson | Project manager and tradesman; former member of Master Builders Queensland |
| Independent Progressive | Edward Carroll | State leader of the unregistered Queensland Progressives; also endorsed by the Fusion Party |
| Legalise Cannabis | Nigel Quinlan | Candidate for Inala in 2004 for the Greens and 2020 |
| Liberal National | Trang Yen | Acting chief financial officer of Trade Investment Queensland; former government bureaucrat |
| Independent | Nayda Hernandez | |
| Greens | Navdeep Singh Sidhu | |
| Labor | Margie Nightingale | Former teacher and policy advisor to Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick |

### Labor

William Bowe from the Poll Bludger and the "Feeding the Chooks" column in The Australian, suggested Jon Persley, Annastacia Palaszczuk's deputy chief of staff, as a potential successor candidate for the 2024 Inala state by-election. However, concerns arose about representation due to the multicultural demographics of the electorate, a point highlighted by The Australian. In January 2024, Persley told The Australian that he would not be contesting for preselection due to Labor's gender quota rules being a 'big factor'. Margie Nightingale, a former teacher and current policy adviser to Treasurer Cameron Dick, won the preselection instead and was elected as the new MP for Inala at the by-election.

## Results

2024 Inala state by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Margie Nightingale | 10,216 | 37.23 | −30.19 |
| | Liberal National | Trang Yen | 8,059 | 29.37 | +12.83 |
| | Greens | Navdeep Singh Sidhu | 2,790 | 10.17 | +2.46 |
| | Independent | Linh Nguyen | 2,502 | 9.12 | +9.12 |
| | Independent | Nayda Hernandez | 1,320 | 4.81 | +4.81 |
| | Legalise Cannabis | Nigel Quinlan | 1,046 | 3.81 | +1.32 |
| | Independent Democrat | Chris Simpson | 986 | 3.60 | +3.60 |
| | Independent Progressives | Edward Carroll | 519 | 1.89 | +1.89 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 27,438 | 91.26 | −3.84 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,627 | 8.74 | +3.84 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,065 | 77.35 | −9.50 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Margie Nightingale | 15,544 | 56.65 | −21.52 |
| | Liberal National | Trang Yen | 11,894 | 43.35 | +21.52 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | −21.52 | |