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. At that point, his daughter, Annastacia Palaszczuk, succeeded him.

Inala has consistently been a secure seat for Labor, often holding the distinction of being the safest for the party in the state. The seat faced a notable challenge in 2012 when Annastacia Palaszczuk experienced a significant decline in her primary vote, marking the only instance since its establishment where Labor did not secure the seat outright on the primary vote. Despite a 14-point two-party swing and a reduced majority of 6.2 percent, she emerged as the leader of the remaining Labor representation and successfully led her party back to government in 2015.

Under Annastacia Palaszczuk's leadership, Inala reverted to its traditional status as a comfortably safe Labor seat. Her majority soared to 25 percent, making it the second-safest seat in the entire chamber. This substantial lead was further consolidated in the 2017 and 2020 elections, with Annastacia Palaszczuk currently holding a commanding majority of 28.1 percent, making Inala the safest seat in the state.

Demographics

Inala, located in the southwestern suburbs of Brisbane, boasts a diverse demographic profile. According to the 2021 Australian Census, the electorate's boundaries exhibits a median age of 34, lower than both the state and national averages. Notably, 18.8 percent of the electorate holds a bachelor's degree, accompanied by a personal weekly income of $659. Additionally, Inala has a significant presence of Vietnamese Australians. Approximately 15.6 percent of households utilise the Vietnamese language, and 14.4 percent of residents identify with Vietnamese ancestry.^[2]

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. However, concerns arose about representation due to the multicultural demographics of the electorate, a point highlighted by The Australian. Labor has faced controversy in the past for overlooking local or culturally diverse candidates, exemplified by the 2022 Australian federal election when Kristina Keneally was parachuted into Fowler, bypassing Vietnamese Australian lawyer Tu Le. In Parramatta, Labor chose Andrew Charlton over local candidates, residing in Bellevue Hill at the time. Keneally lost to independent Dai Le, while Charlton secured a narrow victory.^[4][5] Subsequent elections, like the 2022 Victorian state election, saw Labor selecting Mathew Hilakari as a parachute candidate in Point Cook. However, in the 2023 New South Wales state election, Labor opted for local candidates in seats such as Cabramatta with Tri Vo and Donna Davis for the state counterpart of Parramatta. 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'. Instead, the preselection is now favoured towards Margie Nightingale, a former teacher and current policy adviser to Treasurer Cameron Dick for the party.^[6]