Lawrence Springborg MP |
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Deputy Leader of the Opposition of Queensland |
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In office 2 April 2009 – 11 April 2011 |
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Leader | John-Paul Langbroek |
Preceded by | Mark McArdle |
32nd Leader of the Opposition of Queensland | |
In office 4 February 2003 – 18 September 2006 |
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Deputy | Fiona Simpson (2008) Mark McArdle (2008–2009) |
Preceded by | Mike Horan |
Succeeded by | Jeff Seeney |
In office 21 January 2008 – 2 April 2009 |
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Preceded by | Jeff Seeney |
Succeeded by | John-Paul Langbroek |
Constituency | Carnarvon (1989–1992) Warwick (1992–2001) Southern Downs (2001–) |
Member of the Queensland Parliament for Southern Downs | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office 2001 |
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Personal details | |
Born | 17 February 1968 |
Political party | National (1989–2008) LNP (2008–) |
Spouse(s) | Linda Springborg |
Nickname(s) | The Borg |
Lawrence James Springborg (born 17 February 1968) is an Australian politician and became Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland since 2 April 2009. He was deputy leader of the new Liberal National Party. He has been a National Party of Australia member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 1989, representing the electorates of Carnarvon (1989–1992), Warwick (1992–2001) and Southern Downs (2001–present).
He previously served as Leader of the Opposition from 2003 to 2006, and took the National Party to both the 2004 election and 2006 election. He resigned as leader after his second election defeat in 2006, and was replaced by his former deputy, Jeff Seeney. However, after only 16 months as leader and facing poor opinion polling against him, Springborg replaced Seeney to once again become Leader of the Queensland National Party.
He played a part in the creation of the Liberal National Party, but led it to defeat at the 2009 Queensland state election. On the 2nd of April 2009, John-Paul Langbroek was elected as his successor as the Leader of the Opposition in Queensland. Springborg was then elected Deputy Leader by fellow party members.[1] Springborg's deputy leadership ended in early 2011.
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Born in 1968, Lawrence Springborg left school at the age of 14. He then went on to work a farm on Queensland's Darling Downs for seven years before he was elected to Parliament in 1989 at the age of 21.
In the 1989 Queensland state election, 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 Springborg to relocate to his current seat of Southern Downs.
The Nationals remained in opposition until 1996, when the Goss Labor government lost office following the 1995 state General Election and a consequential adverse finding in the Queensland Court of Disputed Returns and the resignation of the then Premier Wayne Goss. The reformed National-Liberal coalition took power under Rob Borbidge but only with the support of independent MLA Liz Cunningham. 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 was ended 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 international Rugby Union player Tim Horan. After widespread speculation and criticism, the Nationals elected Springborg as leader in 2003.
The campaign for the 2004 state election 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.
As water management became an increasingly important issue during the drought, Springborg criticised Labor's handling of the water issue. Amid speculation that the next state election would be called early, the Liberal Party deposed Quinn and elected Bruce Flegg as leader in his place, who has in the past had a poor relationship with Springborg. Springborg pressed Beattie to serve a full term and not call an election before one was due. On 15 August 2006, Beattie called an election for 9 September of that year. Springborg again conceded defeat at 8pm on 9 September 2006.[2]
In the wake of his second election defeat, he announced his resignation as leader of the National Party on 14 September 2006. His former deputy, Jeff Seeney ascended to the leadership position uncontested on 18 September 2006, alongside Maroochydore representative Fiona Simpson as Deputy Leader.[3]
After Deputy Fiona Simpson withdrew her support for current leader Jeff Seeney, he announced a partyroom challenge to take place on 21 January 2008, with former leader Springborg the front runner.[4] Springborg won the challenge and began renewed talks of a merger to form a single 'non-Labor force' in Queensland. On 26 July 2008 this became reality when both parties voted to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland.[5]
Like his ousting of Mike Horan in 2003, Springborg's ousting of Seeney meant that once again Springborg ousted an Opposition Leader who was not given a chance to present his case to the people.
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 separately 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 queensland parties were tepid, as witnessed by the repeated failure of coalition agreements.
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. Springborg toned down some of his advocacy, however, and was content to announce a renewal of the Coalition agreement with the Liberals on 26 September 2005, aiming to maximise Labor's trouble regarding the scandal instigated by Dr Jayant Patel and the Bundaberg public hospital.
On 29 May 2006, plans for merger received a new life when the state division of the Liberal party announced its in-principal support for the idea. State director Graeme Greene stated that the merged party "would effectively operate under the federal Liberal Party's model".
Disastrously for Springborg, however, senior figures within both the National and Liberal parties federally, particularly federal Nationals leader Mark Vaile, quickly spoke out against the proposed merger. By the end of the week, Springborg had to rescind his proposal.
On 26 July 2008, his vision of a united non-Labor force in QLD became reality when both parties voted to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland. He has been described as the "father of the party" by successor John-Paul Langbroek.[6]
Springborg led the LNP into the 2009 Queensland election, despite opinion polls predicting a close contest the ALP led by Anna Bligh retained government. A 20-seat swing to the LNP would have been required to deliver majority government with the LNP picking up 10 seats, the largest swing to the conservatives in over 14 years. Following his third electoral defeat, Springborg announced his retirement as party leader and instead was elected deputy leader under John-Paul Langbroek.[7]
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Mike Horan |
Leader of the Opposition in Queensland February 2003 – September 2006 |
Succeeded by Jeff Seeney |
Preceded by Jeff Seeney |
Leader of the Opposition in Queensland January 2008 – April 2009 |
Succeeded by John-Paul Langbroek |
Parliament of Queensland | ||
Preceded by Peter McKechnie |
Member for Carnarvon December 1989 – September 1992 |
Seat abolished |
Preceded by Des Booth |
Member for Warwick September 1992 – February 2001 |
Seat abolished |
New seat | Member for Southern Downs February 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by Mike Horan |
Leader of the National Party in Queensland February 2003 – September 2006 |
Succeeded by Jeff Seeney |
Preceded by Jeff Seeney |
Leader of the National Party in Queensland January 2008 – July 2008 |
Party amalgamated |
New political party | Leader of the Liberal National Party in Queensland July 2008 – April 2009 |
Succeeded by John-Paul Langbroek |