[citation needed] Robert Poole first came to parliament at the 2001 state election by winning the newly created seat of Gaven.
[1] The Opposition demanded a by-election, but Premier Peter Beattie said he was prepared to wait until the beginning of April for Poole to return home.
[2] Poole, not prepared to return home early from his trip, announced his decision to resign his seat on 28 February 2006.
A general election was called by Premier Peter Beattie later that year where Labor recouped the seat of Gaven, with Phil Gray once again their candidate.
However, the tables turned again at 2009 state election when Alex Douglas, running as a candidate for the newly formed Liberal National Party, defeated Gray in their third contest against one another.