Moreton isn’t loud, but it’s never asleep. It sits just south of Brisbane’s centre, watching the big swings elsewhere while quietly holding its own—a seat that doesn’t chase headlines but still shapes them.
After nearly two decades in federal Parliament, Labor MP Graham Perrett has stepped aside. His successor, Julie-Ann Campbell, isn’t easing into the race—she’s hitting the ground with a stack of home visits, call sheets, and party backing that suggests this seat is anything but taken for granted.
Campbell, the first woman to serve as State Secretary and Campaign Director for Queensland Labor, lives in Corinda with her partner and young daughter. With a Chinese heritage and a background in law and professional services, she’s a reflection of the very community she now seeks to represent. Moreton is Queensland’s most multicultural federal electorate. Nearly half its residents have both parents born overseas. Mandarin is spoken in over 10 percent of households, with Punjabi, Korean, and Vietnamese not far behind.
It’s this diverse voter base that’s helped shape Moreton into a Labor stronghold in recent years. But strongholds aren’t always secure. The seat may lean left, but the numbers don’t sleepwalk. Labor’s last election showing was solid—a 59.1% two-party-preferred result—but it came with noticeable movement in the Greens vote. With Perrett out, the seat resets, just slightly. And that’s where Campbell’s campaign becomes crucial.
Her main opponent, Henry Swindon from the Liberal National Party, enters the contest with the task of rebuilding momentum for the Coalition in a seat that’s leaned Labor for nearly two decades. While he may not yet have the public profile of his predecessor, the party’s campaign machinery and focus on cost-of-living issues could help sharpen his pitch. But the LNP faces an uphill climb—national trends and local expectations forged under Graham Perrett’s long tenure won’t be easy to shift.
Then there’s Claire Garton of the Greens, who’s been growing a quiet but steady base of support. Last election, she picked up over 20 per cent of the primary vote—a number that, in a seat like Moreton, could start turning heads. The Greens’ reach is strongest in the north-east, where students and younger families pack into shared houses and apartments and vote with climate, rent, and public transport in mind.
The minor parties round out the field, but with little bite. Last cycle, One Nation, the United Australia Party, and the Federation Party struggled to break past single digits. Moreton has never been too friendly to populist rage. It prefers policy over shouting and candidates who show up to Eid, Diwali, and the school fete.
The electorate’s demographics are remarkably telling. The median age sits at 34—lower than the state and national average. One in three residents is studying or has recently studied at a tertiary institution. Professionals, academics, tradies with trade certificates—all mix across a suburb map that jumps from public housing to townhouse enclaves, and from family-run noodle shops to tech start-ups tucked behind industrial sheds.
Housing is top of mind here. Rents hover around $395 a week. Mortgage repayments average $2,000 a month. The median household income—$1,938 a week—keeps families afloat, but only just. The economic line is tight, and voters are watching policies on affordability with a magnifying glass. Labor’s broader housing push might resonate, but candidates on the ground will still need to speak to renters waiting for repairs and young couples saving for a deposit that keeps running away.
Religion is another undercurrent worth watching. The electorate leans secular—over 40 per cent say they have no religion—but the rest is a mosaic: Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus. The diversity is not ornamental. It flows through community halls, school boards, and business networks. Candidates who engage performatively tend to get found out.
This is where Campbell’s campaign is doing something interesting. While many new candidates lean heavily on party machinery, she’s been front-facing early—door-knocking, phoning, and turning up to events long before the corflutes go up. Her history as Labor’s campaign director gives her an edge in discipline and messaging. But it’s her ability to connect—without sounding rehearsed—that might matter most.
Online, the race is civil but active. Local Facebook groups flicker with policy discussions, multilingual posts, and the occasional fact-checking skirmish. The Greens perform well among younger voters on Instagram and TikTok. Labor dominates WhatsApp groups in Indian, Sri Lankan, and Chinese circles. The Liberals lean into LinkedIn and Chinese-Australian business networks. There’s no Trumpian storm here—just a digital chessboard where everyone is playing a long game.
As election day nears, Moreton isn’t bracing for a political earthquake. But it is pausing to check the winds. With Graham Perrett gone, there’s no incumbent advantage. There’s also no public backlash. Just quiet scrutiny.
Julie-Ann Campbell has the advantage, but she’ll need to convert it with more than party goodwill. Steven Huang and Claire Garton will be watching for any slip. The rest of the field is unlikely to pull surprises—but that doesn’t mean they’ll be silent.
Moreton doesn’t always get front-page treatment. But don’t mistake its calm for complacency. In this seat, respect is earned, and votes are never assumed.
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