Geography of Queensland and the Simpson Desert are partially located in Queensland. Drought has had a significant impact on Queensland rural communities, both socially and economically. The east coast of Australia, including what is now known as Queensland was first explored by James Cook but for thousands of years before it was occupied by Indigenous Australians. The capital of Queensland is Brisbane. Queensland uses the Australian Eastern Standard Time Zone, but does not adjust in summer for daylight saving. Mining and agriculture, particularly sugar cane harvesting, are the state's main industries. The Great Artesian Basin is an important water source for the state.
National Party of Australia – Queensland the Liberal Party of Australia (Queensland Division) in 1949. A pattern was set in the 1944 state election whereby the Country Party secured fewer votes but more seats than the People's Party; this pattern would continue into the 1970s. Nicklin would continue to lead the party to defeat over five successive elections, but there seemed little prospect of defeating Labour, especially after the introduction of a malapportionment that significantly varied the size of electorates in different zones of the state. In 1957 the Labor Party in Queensland was engulfed in the split that had been growing in the party across