Seats to watch in the Qld election

KEY SEATS TO BE CONTESTED IN THE QUEENSLAND ELECTION:

ASHGROVE

Premier Campbell Newman could lose this inner-Brisbane marginal seat with several polls predicting former MP Kate Jones will win it back for Labor. Newman holds the seat with a margin of 5.7 per cent.

TOWNSVILLE

This traditional Labor seat was won by the LNP in 2012. Both leaders have visited the seat at least twice during the election campaign and made big promises to fund a new sports stadium to revitalise the garrison city. Labor's Scott Stewart will try to beat former soldier John Hathaway who holds the seat by a margin of 4.8 per cent.

CAIRNS

Held by the Labor party for over a century until it was won by the LNP's Gavin King, Cairns will be one to watch on Saturday. Both parties have made big promises for seat and surrounding electorates. Labor's Rob Pyne will hope to unseat Mr King, who holds Cairns by a margin of 8.9 per cent.

MACKAY

Labor will be hoping to hold their most marginal seat, which is being vacated by outgoing Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mulherin. The LNP candidate Deon Attard will be hope to beat Labor's Julieanne Gilbert on Saturday. The opposition hold the seat with a wafer-thin margin of 0.5 per cent. Former mayor Julie Boyd will threaten Labor's chances even more.

GLADSTONE

Conservative independent Liz Cunningham has held Gladstone since 1995. Labor is keen to pick up the seat centred on the state-owned port and the natural gas processing hub and export terminal on Curtis Island. Labor's Glenn Butcher has campaigned heavily on a platform of keeping the port in public hands. He'll take on independent Craig Butler, the anointed successor of Ms Cunningham who held the seat by margin of 14 per cent.

GAVEN

Held by the LNP's Alex Douglas before he defected to the Palmer United Party and then jumped ship again to become in independent. The LNP's Sid Cramp and Labor's Michael Riordan are hoping to win the seat, which Dr Douglas holds by a margin of 19.1 per cent.

YEERONGPILLY

This southern Brisbane seat is held by former police officer Carl Judge, whose political career mirrors that of Alex Douglas in Gaven. It's uncertain whether voters will re-elect an MP who's changed his stripes so many times in just three years. The LNP's Leila Abukar and Labor's Mark Bailey are trying to take the seat, which Mr Judge holds by a slim margin of 1.4 per cent.

MUNDINGBURRA

If young LNP talent David Crisafulli can hang on to this Townsville seat, wrested from Labor during its 2012 capitulation, he could be a contender as a future party leader. On the 2012 result, he holds the seat with a margin of 10.2 per cent.