Neither Labor or the LNP are claiming Gaven as Meaghan Scanlon faces biggest fight yet
Labor’s only seat on the Gold Coast is hanging in the balance, with political insiders saying the contest between Meaghan Scanlon and Bianca Stone is too close to call. Read the latest from the battle for Gaven.
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Labor’s only seat on the Gold Coast at Gaven held by Meaghan Scanlon is “50-50” with neither the ALP or LNP confident of winning it in Saturday’s State poll.
The northern Coast electorate is considered one of the most critical in the State for the Opposition to gain government - and David Crisafulli to become Premier.
A well-placed veteran LNP source said: “It’s 50-50. It will come down to preferences. You may as well throw a coin in the air.”
The source added on Ms Scanlon – Australia’s youngest Housing Minister and rising star – that the party “want to take her out, for obvious reasons”. They regard her as a future leader.
Senior Labor figures say it is “the most watched seat in the State”.
Ms Scanlon has a 7.8 per cent margin but polls suggest a statewide swing against Labor of at least eight per cent.
Premier Steven Miles on an election eve visit to Gaven on Friday backed his young Minister and took a political swipe at Coast LNP MPs John-Paul Langbroek, Ray Stevens, Michael Hart and Sam O’Connor who staged a pre-poll blue blitz on the seat on Thursday.
“People know Meaghan, know her record, she has delivered and she will continue to deliver for them for four more years,” Mr Miles said.
“Again it’s indicative – it’s how those old white blokes take the Gold Coast for granted. Everyone I talk to on the Gold Coast, particularly in the business community, they bemoan all of those white blokes who have been sitting there for decades and never delivered a single thing.
“Meaghan has arrived here and in just a few short years has delivered more than any of them have, and you can see how they take their seats for granted by the fact they’re campaigning in other seats.”
Electoral Commission of Queensland data shows almost 15,000 people in Gaven had voted by Thursday during prepoll. The fast-growing electorate has almost 35,000 voters.
The LNP believes it has won the Pacific Pines booth, but had fewer voters than Nerang, which remains Labor heartland and much busier for early voting traffic.
Their view – and insiders say Mr Crisafulli has the same – is the seat cannot be called and remains lineball.
Ms Stone is an ex-Sunrise reporter, who with a large group of LNP supporters smashed the electorate with signage and “roadsides” – and at prepoll stood beside Ms Scanlon.
“Bianca has put up one helluva of a fight,” the LNP campaigner said.
Ms Stone said: “I am a first-time candidate up against a Government Minister who has the support of the unions helping to sandbag the seat.
“We know who the underdog is. Regardless voters have been incredibly supportive of me and the LNP’s tough on crime policies. Crime is the number one issue and people know I will deliver for the area.”
Ms Scanlon on Friday maintained she was the “underdog” but appeared buoyant, aware voters were supporting her because she was the only local standing.
“I’m still the underdog in this race but it’s really been positive talking to a lot of people who know the work I’ve done in the area, that I’ve worked hard and I hope they put their trust in me on Saturday to continue doing that work,” she said.
The other issue giving a boost to Labor’s vote was abortion rights and the party’s support of women being able to make their own choice.
Ms Scanlon said many female LNP supporters had admitted to changing their vote due to their party’s position.
She said the LNP’s costings have also revealed the plan by Mr Crisafulli, if elected Premier, to cut hundreds of jobs from the Coast.
Ms Scanlon accused Mr Crisafulli of “borrowing Campbell Newman’s playbook” which will
mean major cuts to jobs and infrastructure on the Coast.
“That blueprint saw infrastructure cut by 30 per cent last time – a repeat would devastate our community with the reduction in the Big Build program cutting 2195 jobs on the Gold Coast alone,” she said.
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Originally published as Neither Labor or the LNP are claiming Gaven as Meaghan Scanlon faces biggest fight yet
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