Currumbin by-election 2020: LNP insiders fuming over Currumbin candidate choice as Laura Gerber faces media

Picked outside of the usual preselection process, the LNP’s new candidate for Currumbin has faced a baptism by fire.

IT WAS a baptism by fire for the new LNP candidate for Currumbin who copped a stinging attack from the incumbent moments before she faced the media for the first time.

In the first 24 hours of Laura Gerber’s campaign announcement, senior party figures

and the seat’s retiring member Jann Stuckey had taken aim at the ‘sudden’ selection.

Picked outside of the usual preselection process, Ms Gerber’s introduction to party members on Tuesday night was a fiery affair.

According to those present, party members expressed their fury to Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington over the abandonment of the normal preselection, preventing locals from having their say.

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Laura Gerber faced a baptism by fire. Pics Adam Head

In response to the concerns yesterday Ms Frecklington assured members the selection and vetting of Ms Gerber was still thorough and asked them to: “remember the circumstances surrounding the early retirement of the current member”.

Ms Gerber is a 35-year-old lawyer and mother-of-two who works for the Queensland Health Ombudsman and was previously a federal prosecutor.

It was confirmed yesterday that Ms Gerber had applied to run for the LNP in December.

Ms Gerber also confirmed she has only recently joined the party, saying she submitted her application ‘late last year’.

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She has only attended one branch meeting – the one announcing her own candidacy on Tuesday night.

“I am not a career politician, I am a successful professional but I have always, my beliefs and values have always aligned with the LNP,” Ms Gerber said.

“I think that this is something, it has always been my party.”

Despite not running for preselection or being a long-term member of the branch, the lawyer and mother of two said she did believe her sudden selection was appropriate.

“I did go through a process, I was vetted and I put in my application before Jann Stuckey announced her resignation,” Ms Gerber said.

“I went through the full rigorous vetting process so I have been through a preselection process.”

Currumbin candidate Laura Gerber and party Leader Deb Frecklington. Pics Adam Head

Ms Gerber was also quick to refute the claims aired by Ms Stuckey that she was a “blow-in” who had only moved into the electorate five months earlier.

“That’s actually not true,” Ms Gerber said.

“We moved down in January so my daughter could start school, January last year.”

She did however admit that she had not yet made an attempt to speak with Ms Stuckey.

“I haven’t, I really hope to be able to talk to her but I haven’t had the opportunity to talk with her yet,” she said.

“I want to follow in her footsteps and continue her good work.”

Ms Gerber said she believed Ms Stuckey’s negative comments will have no effect on her campaign.

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“I don’t think it is about that,” Ms Gerber said.

“My campaign is about the people of Currumbin, my campaign is about making sure I am a voice for them.”

The press conference was met with horror by senior party figures from both the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

“It was like watching us lose the by-election in real time,” The Bulletin was told.

“This whole process has really damaged the party brand in Currumbin and it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

The candidate plans to focus on issues like education and duplicating the M1.

Originally published as Currumbin by-election 2020: LNP insiders fuming over Currumbin candidate choice as Laura Gerber faces media