Speculation is mounting that Nationals leader Matt Canavan will swoop into Michelle Landry’s Lower House seat following her retirement, though the Senator has yet to confirm his plans.
Ms Landry formally announced her retirement on Friday, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family and had been proud of her achievements in public life since 2013.
Senator Canavan joined her for the announcement in Rockhampton and credited her “hard work and delivery” over her more than a decade in Federal Parliament.
The junior Coalition leader said Ms Landry’s previous wins in the seat wasn’t just good luck — likening her to boxer “Mike Tyson” fighting for her region while in Canberra.
“She’s been a super woman of delivery for Central Queensland. This is someone who gets things done. That is the template for every local member,” she said.
“You’ll be a loss, you’ll leave huge shoes to fill here in Central Queensland. We’ll be sad when you finally hang up that cape as the super woman that you are.”
Ms Landry said she hadn’t been pressured from Senator Canavan or another in the Coalition and certainly hadn’t been influenced by One Nation’s ambition to gain the seat.
“Pauline says she’s going to move up here. I think people like locals from the area. When I look at people that move into an area to run for a political position — it doesn’t usually end well,” she warned One Nation.
She also took the opportunity to condemn One Nation’s controversial “Please Explain” satire cartoon series — labelling it an “obnoxious little video”.
“I’ve been the brunt of some of their jokes with that. I think that they need to have a bit of a look at things. We all have to lower the temperature because people causing trouble and doing obnoxious little video doesn’t help. I worry about the future,” Ms Landry said.
While her departure would give Senator Canavan an opportunity to seek LNP preselection for the electorate ahead of the election due in 2028, Senator Canavan didn’t formally declare his tilt on Friday.
The Queensland Senator, who rose to the top job in March after David Littleproud stepped down.
Senator Canavan — who lives in Yeppoon — indicated he would consider moving to the lower house during an interview on News24 earlier this month.
Conceding that the next election could be his “last” given political challenge ahead with surging One Nation support, Senator Canavan said he would contest a House of Representatives seat “if it is required” to protect his party’s representation.
I’ll do whatever it takes… We’ve got a great local member there in Capricornia, Michelle Landry. I’d love to see her continue,” he told News24.
“But 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. I’ll do what I need to do save this country.”