The Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been dragged into stoush over the resignation of the ALP's Whitsunday candidate.
On August 4 Tracey Cameron resigned less than 100 days out from the state election.
A statement from Labor HQ said the decision was to do with a member of Ms Cameron's family being seriously ill.
What was not mentioned was the fact that a key ally of Ms Palaszczuk's had called Ms Cameron the day before, pushing her to resign.
"I received a call late in the afternoon from somebody within the party informing me that the Premier wasn't a fan of mine in any way, shape, or form," Ms Cameron said.
"[The Premier] didn't believe I could win this seat, wouldn't support it and no longer wanted me as the candidate for Whitsunday."
Ms Cameron said Labor Party president John Battams was the one who made the call to her.
She resigned the following day.
The ABC has been told by party insiders that the Premier's replacement, Angie Kelly, was not a member of the Labor Party until late July.
Ms Cameron was so outraged the she and several local Labor members staged a mass walkout that resulted in two local branches of the Labor Party becoming inactive after losing more than 50 per cent of their members.
Ms Cameron has now taken the unprecedented step of endorsing Ciaron Paterson, of Katter's Australia Party, who she would have been running against.
"I am so disillusioned with what the Labor Party stands for now," Ms Cameron said.
"I can't be a part of what is in its existing capacity."
A Palaszczuk Government spokesperson refuted the claims by Ms Cameron and said the Premier wished Ms Cameron well.
A growing divide
Ms Cameron was, up until three weeks ago, a lifelong member of the Labor Party.
But now she sees the party as out of touch with regional Queensland.
"There are no words to explain how disconnected it is." she said.
"What works in the south-east corner does not work in regional.
"I don't know many elections we have to lose to prove that."
The ABC understands a staffer for Labor MP Julieanne Gilbert, who sits in the neighbouring electorate of Mackay, has resigned over the replacement of Ms Cameron.
Senior lecturer and political commentator at Griffith University Paul Williams says major parties will continue to face the problem of trying to straddle competing interests of metropolitan and regional voters.
"This is an ongoing problem," he said.
"Labor is trying to face off against two communities — a blue collar, and a white/green collar community."
Mr Paterson said he welcomed Ms Cameron's support.
"It's good for the region," he said.
"Two heads are better than one."
