Rod Welford discusses the opportunity to enter Queensland parliament. He details the discussions between himself and Terry Hampson, the state secretary of the Labor Party, about running for the seat of Stafford in the 1989 election. He discusses the preselection process and his approach to campaigning. He notes the previous Labor candidates in the seat of Stafford including Denis Murphy and Janine Walker. He notes the influence of the Fitzgerald Inquiry and Wayne Goss on the 1989 election.