ASSISTANT Minister to Malcolm Turnbull believes changing the name of the Mount Isa state electorate to ‘Traeger’ is “unnecessary”.
Queensland Senator James McGrath said changing the name was like trying to put a “large round peg” in a square hole.
He believed the name still served the electorate which is to change for the next term of state parliament. The electorate will include Charters Towers. “Nobody has been able to justify the name change. It should have stayed as Mount Isa.”
Senator McGrath criticised the name change during a two week tour in northern and western Queensland.
The senator’s criticism did not extend to the changes in area and he said there were more important issues for constituents than the name.
“It’s not the name of the seat but who represents the seat,” Senator McGrath said. He endorsed State LNP candidate Ronald Bird against KAP’s Rob Katter and ALP’s Danielle Slade.
Previously the Assistant Minister had been campaign manager for the late Noeline Ikin while new to the position following a Prime Ministerial reshuffle and during that time had prided himself as “a faceless man” in government.
This was the man who led Campbell Newman’s successful campaign to become Queensland’s Premier in 2012.