Brisbane Lord Mayoral candidates Adrian Schrinner and Patrick Condren have butted heads over the issue of holding elections during a pandemic.

With much of the country locked down and the population told to stay indoors, the decision to continue with the election has attracted significant criticism.

“Do you support fines being handed out, Lord Mayor, to people who don’t vote?” Ben Fordham quizzed Mr Schrinner.

“Oh look, absolutely not – not in these circumstances. People are being told to stay home, in self-isolation. People are being told if they are sick – not necessarily with coronavirus, but any kind of sickness – to stay home, so there needs to be some lenience shown here.”

Labor candidate Pat Condren, however, told Ben “I’m not going to interfere with what the independent arbiter says,” and supported the view of Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young that it is safe to go out and vote on Saturday.

Both candidates are refusing to make any predictions about the results, with the influx of postal votes and pre-pollers adding a new dynamic to the election.

“I pre-polled on Monday last week,” Mr Condren says, “My 20-year-old daughter pre-polled on Monday, and I took my 80-year-old mother along on Monday afternoon to pre-poll, and I can tell you it was fast, easy, and no-fuss.”

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