Jarrod Bleijie still flat out refusing deputies debate with Cameron Dick

The Courier-Mail’s cardboard cutout of Jarrod Bleijie has met constituents in his Sunshine Coast electorate. Here’s what they said.

Kelly Hodges with children Charles, 5, Annabelle, 3, and Ted, six months, meet a reasonable facsimile of local MP Jarrod Bleijie. Picture: Lachie Millard

Voters in Jarrod Bleijie’s Sunshine Coast electorate have split views on their local member: Some love him, some hate him, some have never heard of him, but most share a similar opinion of his refusal to rock up to a deputy leaders’ debate – that’s slack.

The Deputy Opposition Leader has repeatedly declined The Courier-Mail’s request for him to debate Deputy Premier Cameron Dick.

If he continues to dodge the invitation, a life-size cardboard cutout of Mr Bleijie will instead ­represent him.

The Courier-Mail took that cardboard version of Mr Bleijie to pre-polling locations in his electorate of Kawana on Wednesday to see what his constituents thought of their local MP, and of his refusal to attend the debate, where he would answer questions from undecided voters.

Terise Wright said she didn’t know much about Mr Bleijie but believed he should attend the debate.

“That makes me wonder, I think he should be upfront and speak at any of these things,” she said.

“That would make me question why he’s not going.”

Dini Schubert was confused as to why he wouldn’t be going to the debate.

“I mean isn’t that his job right, to be there, representing?” she said.

“If you aren’t doing your job, what are you doing? Where else are you?”

Riley Armstrong, who thought Mr Bleijie’s name was Peter when he saw the cardboard cut-out, said it was poor form refusing to attend the debate.

“That’s pretty slack,” Mr Armstrong said.

“He could at least show up.”

Many of the voters said there were key issues that they would have liked Mr Bleijie to be quizzed on, such as cost-of-living, housing and various local issues of importance to the electorate.

“I think the traffic situation here (in Kawana) is bad,” Ms Wright said.

“I don’t think anything is being done.

“There is a lot of noise going on but nothing is being done.

“So I think more money is needed there.”

But some voters, mostly who had met Mr Bleijie in the past, gave him the benefit of the doubt, saying he might have had a good reason for not attending the debate.

“I think he’s great. We’ve met him a few times. He’s very visible in the community, he’s a solid person,” Jill William-Smith said.

“I think he’s probably got very good reasons for not doing it.”

The real Mr Bleijie was in Mackay on Wednesday, where he again said he would not attend The Courier-Mail’s debate.

“The cutout of me will still make more sense than the real Cameron Dick in the room,” Mr Bleijie said.

“That’s the reality.”

He claimed the debate was about his opponent making it all about himself, despite the event being solely organised by The Courier-Mail.

Our Voter Verdict panel of undecided Queenslanders will attend to ask the questions.

Originally published as Jarrod Bleijie still flat out refusing deputies debate with Cameron Dick