GROOM IS A largely agricultural electorate located on the Darling Downs west of Brisbane and is comprised mainly of the city of Toowoomba – Australia’s second largest inland city – and surrounding rural areas.

Groom was created in 1984 after a redistribution of boundaries which saw the Federation division of Darling Downs abolished. Safely conservative neither Groom nor Darling Downs has ever been held by the Labor party. Current incumbent LNP Garth Hamilton was first elected at the 2020 by-election with 67.2 percent two-party-preferred (2PP) ahead of the ALP.

Post the 2022 election, however, that 17.2 percent margin has been pruned back to 6.9 percent after independent Suzie Holt finished second to Hamilton with 43.1 percent of the vote two-candidate-preferred (TCP).

“It’s pretty remarkable. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a case where someone’s come from fourth to finish in the final two.” - Antony Green

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