Michelle Landry has announced that she will not recontest her Queensland seat of Capricornia in the upcoming election. This decision comes as speculation grows that Matt Canavan, the leader of the Nationals, may attempt a switch to the House of Representatives. A leading pollster has warned that Canavan faces a “zero per cent” chance of retaining his Senate seat if the current surge in One Nation's polling continues.
Context
On Friday, Landry confirmed her retirement from the Capricornia seat, which is located around Rockhampton. In response to rumors that Pauline Hanson might run for her seat, Landry criticized One Nation, describing the party as “not very pleasant” and calling their cartoon videos “obnoxious.” She stated, “I think they need to pull their heads in.”
There has been significant speculation regarding Canavan's potential candidacy for Capricornia. Earlier this month, he expressed his willingness to do “whatever it takes” to hold the seat, stating in an interview with Sky News:
““If I’m required, if it is required to keep a seat, to hold one more seat in the lower house somewhere. I will do it.”
Developments
During a press conference with Landry, Canavan avoided directly addressing the speculation but did not dismiss the possibility of running in Capricornia. Landry denied any suggestion that she was pressured to resign to make way for another Nationals member and refrained from speculating on her potential replacement.
