Fadden by-election: LNP members choose candidate to contest safe Gold Coast seat
Blue shirts, handfuls of campaign leaflets, whispered phone calls and gladhanding galore. This is the inside story of how Cameron Caldwell beat high-profile candidates to win LNP preselection.
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Tensions were high as the fight for Fadden reached its crescendo on Saturday afternoon.
A sea of blue shirts, handfuls of campaign leaflets, whispered phone calls and gladhanding galore could be seen outside the Runaway Bay Community Centre on an overcast afternoon as 153 LNP members passed through the door.
With five candidates to choose from, the party faithful were ready to do their duty after weeks of bitter infighting.
Long-serving area councillor Cameron Caldwell and Dr Dinesh Palipana, the two leading candidates both appeared relaxed as they met with supporters but, beneath the surface their camps were desperately doing the arithmetic to figure out who would triumph.
Well-aware it would be impossible for their candidate to win on the first round, party sources were unsure of how supporters of the other candidates would vote in the later rounds.
The weeks before the preselection had seen lobbying from the candidates and their backers to try and sure up support.
Two hours of presentations began from 2pm behind closed doors as each candidate made their pitch to both local members and a handful of star attendees, including federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, state Opposition Leader David Crisafulli and LNP founder Lawrence Springborg.
LNP sources say the tension which had characterised the previous weeks dissipated once the meeting and voting began.
“Cameron gave by far the best speech of the candidates but many people were surprised by how articulate they all were,” one party figure said on Saturday night.
“Once everyone was in there, it calmed won and it wasn’t like there was people running around lobbying for every last vote.
“The party members knew they were there to do a job and made their mind up after the speeches.”
Candidates Owen Caterer and Craig Hobart were eliminated after the first round of voting, leaving Cr Caldwell, Dr Palipana and Fadden branch chair Fran Ward in the race.
The second round of voting saw Ms Ward bow out.
Party figures who spoke to the Bulletin said several members who had voted for Dr Palipana and Ms Ward changed their votes to back Cr Caldwell in the final vote which saw the 44-year-old triumph with 86 votes to his rival’s 56.
“As soon as Fran dropped out of the race it was all over because Dinesh would have needed at least 28 of the 30 people who voted for Fran but almost all of them swung in behind Cameron,” the party source said.
Cr Caldwell was anointed as the LNP’s Fadden candidate and presumptive favourite to win the seat at the July 16 by-election just before 5pm Sunday night.
As the new candidate and Mr Dutton fronted the media, the LNP party faithful left through a side door into the night, bracing for six weeks on the hustings before polling day.
The fight for Fadden was over but the by-election battle has just begun.
What Cameron Caldwell’s preselection means for council seat
Cameron Caldwell can continue being Gold Coast City Council’s planning committee boss despite winning LNP preselection for the Fadden by-election.
But Councillor Caldwell will automatically vacate the position of Division Three councillor and planning chair if he wins the poll on July 16.
His preselection win on Saturday, in which he defeated four candidates including former Queenslander of the Year Dr Dinesh Palipana, triggers a potential powershift at City Hall.
City CEO Tim Baker is to meet with Cr Caldwell this week to ensure council is following federal legislation.
While it is thought a councillor running for a state seat must resign, Commonwealth rules appear to be “silent” on the arrangements moving forward to polling day.
“There is no requirement for Cr Caldwell to resign or take a leave of absence from any duties and I will meet with him this week to ensure all legislative requirements are met over the next six weeks,” Mr Baker said.
“In the event Cr Caldwell is elected to federal parliament, the City will invite Expressions of Interest for the role with a decision on the appointment made by council resolution, in accordance with the Local Government Act.”
The Bulletin understands the usual process would involve council first notifying candidates who were unsuccessful in the last election in the division.
This is done as a courtesy rather than a guarantee they would be front runners for the job.
Former councillor Kristyn Boulton was the only candidate who ran against Cr Caldwell in the 2020 poll.
Ms Boulton obtained 43.5 per cent of the vote with Cr Caldwell winning after receiving more than 56 per cent of the vote.
Sources suggest it is not automatic that a candidate would be appointed to fill the role until the next election in March next year.
The only recent similar scenario occurred in 2007 when Donna Gates, now the City’s Deputy Mayor, was appointed to fill a vacancy.
Six months before that poll, experienced councillor David Power resigned forcing council to seek expressions of interests.
Ms Gates was in an administrative support role, working for Cr Power and Cr Jan Grew, and had a strong profile in the city’s north.
Despite former Mayor Gary Baildon putting his hand up for the position, Ms Gates gained the support of nine community groups and was appointed.
Cr Caldwell is the favourite to win the Fadden by election sparked by the retirement of veteran MP Stuart Robert. The LNP enjoys a 10 per cent margin.
Cr Gates as deputy chair on the City’s planning committee would be expected to be first choice as future chair in a decision which would be made by councillors.
Dutton’s message to voters after Libs select Fadden candidate
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called on Gold Coast voters to send Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a message after the LNP picked long-serving councillor Cameron Caldwell to replace trouble-prone former MP Stuart Robert.
Cr Caldwell on Saturday defeated four candidates, including former Queenslander of the year Dr Dinesh Palipana, to win preselection in the safe northern Gold Coast seat of Fadden at next month’s by-election.
The 44-year-old won over the 153 eligible voters and was anointed on the third round after a marathon three-hour meeting at Runaway Bay Community Centre.
Speaking outside the meeting, Mr Dutton said he expected a tough fight, despite the party holding Fadden with a 10 per cent margin at the 2022 federal election.
“(Party members) very strongly supported Cameron Caldwell and there is a big fight ahead of is, so we need to work every day between now and the by-election because it will be important to send a message,” he said.
“We need to send a very clear message to the Prime Minister that the government just isn’t doing well enough when it comes to supporting small businesses, in fact Labor is making it harder.”
Cr Caldwell said it was a “great honour” to be endorsed as the LNP’s candidate.
“I feel as a long-term local that I really understand what the community expects and I know I can be the one they support,” he said.
“We need to use this by-election to send a message to the Albanese government that families here in Fadden are doing it tough … cost of living pressures are really starting to bite.”
The outcome of the July by-election, sparked by the resignation of Stuart Robert, is tipped to be a key test of Mr Dutton’s leadership following the party’s shock loss of the Melbourne seat of Aston in April.
The decision will require Cr Caldwell to resign from his council seat in coming days.
A replacement will be named without the need for a by-election because there is less than a year remaining before local government elections are held.
The preselection meeting was attended by some of the party’s top figures, including Mr Dutton, state Opposition Leader David Crisafulli and LNP founder Lawrence Springborg.
Cr Caldwell defeated Dr Palipana, Fadden branch chair Fran Ward, Owen Caterer and Craig Hobart who were eliminated gradually during the three rounds.
EARLIER
LNP members led by federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are voting behind closed doors to chose their candidate for the northern Gold Coast seat of Fadden.
More than 150 eligible voters, around half of the party’s active membership in the seat have attended the preselection meeting at Runaway Bay Community Centre.
The outcome of the July by-election, sparked by the resignation of Stuart Robert, is tipped to be a key test of Mr Dutton’s leadership following the party’s shock-loss of the Melbourne seat of Aston in April.
The five candidates, Cameron Caldwell, Owen Caterer, Craig Hobart, Dinesh Palipana and Fran Ward, spent more than 90 minutes before the meeting handing out pamphlets to party members.
Whoever is chose is almost certain to become the safe LNP seat’s next MP.
Supporters from the three leading contenders — Councillor Caldwell, Ms Ward and Dr Palipana — admit it is unlikely anyone secures more than 50 per cent of the vote in the first ballot.
Party figures remained uncertain about the outcome and unable to pick a winner.
“It’s down to the wire, the situation hasn’t changed in the last 24 hours and it could go either way,” said one party member who was not authorised to speak officially.
“Now we have just have to sit and wait for the proverbial white smoke to signal we have a candidate.”
Among those who are inside the high-stakes meeting were Mr Dutton, State Opposition leader David Crisafulli, LNP founder Lawrence Springborg, state MPs Sam O’Connor and Michael Crandon and Gold Coast councillors William Owen-Jones, Brooke Patterson and Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden.
Speaking at Carrara on the Gold Coast earlier in the day Mr Crisafulli said he was looking forward to listening to speeches from candidates and casting his vote in the preselection.
“I’m one member who has one vote and it shows the benefits of a grassroots political movement where people get to choose who they believe is the best person to represent them, free from big business or big unions,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful exercise in democracy.
“ … I’m just like any other voter. And I (look forward) to the opportunity to listen to those speeches and cast my vote.”
Mr Crisafulli rejected the suggestion that Fadden is a “safe seat” for the Liberals.
“There’s no such thing,” he said. “That notion has disappeared in modern politics.
“I think both political parties would acknowledge that concept doesn’t exist any more.
“You have to be in touch with your own electorate, because people when they vote tend to think about their vote and the days of people being rusted on one way or another doesn’t exist any more.
“So we have to choose a quality candidate and we have to work hard at every level of government.”
Doors of the community centre closed at 2pm and, shortly before 2.30pm, most of the candidates excluding Cr Caldwell, were escorted by party bosses out of the community centre.
Each candidate will present to the party members without the opponents present before being called back in for the vote.
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Originally published as Fadden by-election: LNP members choose candidate to contest safe Gold Coast seat
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