Ian Macdonald apologises to would-be successors after loss of top Senate ticket spot

LNP Senate veteran says he will campaign for below-the-line votes after being given fourth spot

The Queensland LNP senator Ian Macdonald has apologised to his would-be successors, who he says have been "locked out" of the Senate "for a generation", after he was given a virtually unwinnable spot on the Senate ticket.

Macdonald used his latest Northern Online Opinion dispatch to apologise for leaving the people of northern Queensland "without genuine representation in the Senate", hinting at a succession plan he was unable to implement, after losing his battle to remain at the top of the LNP Senate ticket.