Voters in the central Queensland electorate of Callide will head to the polling booth next month after its former Liberal National Party MP successfully shifted to a federal seat.
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Speaker Curtis Pitt has set June 18 as the day for the by-election in the state seat, which covers the North Burnett, Western Downs and Banana Shire.
"In choosing the polling date, I was mindful of the 2022 federal election, which was practically required to be held in May," Mr Pitt told parliament.
"I did not want to hold the Callide by-election during the federal election campaign period."
Callide covers a vast agricultural area, at least four major coal mines, a number of coal seam gas projects and the Callide coal-fired power station.
The former MP for Callide, Colin Boyce, a farmer and former boilermaker, was first elected to the Queensland parliament in 2017 and sat in the Nationals party room.
He broke LNP ranks last year to vote against a state Labor government bill to set up a mine rehabilitation commissioner and supports coal mining.
Mr Boyce also spoke out against the former Morrison federal government's net zero emissions pledge, claiming it was not legally binding.
"It leaves us wiggle room as we proceed into the future. Morrison's statement that he has made is not binding," he told the ABC while on the federal campaign trail in April.
Mr Boyce will succeed retiring LNP MP Ken O'Dowd in the federal seat of Flynn, which covers Gladstone and the Central Highlands, after seeing off Labor's Matt Burnett in Saturday's national election.
Nominations for the Callide by-election close at noon on May 31.
Australian Associated Press
