EARLY voting for the July 2 federal election has had a slow start in the seat of Bowman, which covers the entire Redland City.
Only one pre-polling centre is open this week for the electorate at 32 Middle Street, Cleveland from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
There is no pre-polling centre open in Bowman open this weekend.
Next week, a centre will also open at Victoria Point Shopping Centre, 34 Bunker Road, in the former Jetts Gym, across the road from the ANZ Bank.
Both of those centres will be open on Saturday, June 25 from 9am to 4pm.
From Monday, June 27, those in the northern part of the city will be able to cast their votes at Capalaba Place Hall, 14 Noeleen Street.
Check the times on our calendar as some days all three centres are open until 6pm.
You can cast your vote ahead of election day if you will be outside the electorate where you are enrolled to vote or will be more than 8km away from a polling place. You are also eligible if you are unable to leave your workplace to vote or are ill, due to give birth, a patient in a hospital, have religious beliefs, or are in prison.
Bowman covers an area of about 537sq km from Thorneside in the north to Redland Bay in the south and includes the islands of Coochiemudlo, Lamb, Karragara, Macleay, Russell and North Stradbroke.
The main suburbs include Alexandra Hills, Birkdale, Capalaba, Cleveland, Mount Cotton, Ormiston, Redland Bay, Sheldon, Thorneside, Thornlands, Victoria Point and Wellington Point.
There are five candidates for the seat.
First on the ballot card is Greens candidate Brad Scott.
After nine years as an Army officer and a successful management career on the Australian waterfront and in large logistic companies, he now runs a small business with his wife in Redlands. He enjoys playing Golden Oldies Rugby for the Redland Crabs and plays an active role in the community.
Second on the ballot card is the Labor Party candidate Kim Richards.
She has been a local resident 20 years and is the Chief Operating Officer for a large Brisbane architectural firm. She is also an associate member of the Property Council of Australia and is part of the Women and Diversity Committee. She is on the Management Committee for the Brisbane Development Association. Richards has also volunteered for Group, a Queensland-based mental health organisation.
Third on the ballot is the sitting member for Bowman, the Liberal-National Party’s, Andrew Laming, who has held the seat since 2004 and has am 8.9 per cent margin.
The 49 year-old father of two worked as a GP and ophthalmologist in outback Australia and in overseas medical programs in Afghanistan and East Timor. He has also been an international rower, completed a Master of Public Administration through Harvard University, worked as an adviser to former Health Minister Kay Patterson and worked to set up a local eye surgery in Redlands. He first contested the seat unsuccessfully in 2001 before winning in 2004, and clung on again in 2007 with a slender 64 vote margin. Laming attracted attention through two unusual stunts in the current term. In early 2014, he skolled a beer while doing a handstand, and in March last year he was ejected from the House for pouring flammable bunker fuel over his hands to protest the impact of the cruise liner industry's sulphur dioxide emissions.
Fourth on the ballot card is the Australian Liberty Alliance candidate Tony Duncan.
He grew up in Brisbane working as an accountant. He has worked overseas for six years and started his own software business in 2005. He employs staff and services international customers.
The final name on the ballot card is Family First’s Brett Saunders.
He is a qualified primary school teacher and an executive assistant in the waste management industry. He lives at Victoria Point and volunteers for many projects, especially with school-aged children.
