Hospital waiting times, traffic jams key issue in marginal seat of Forde

Hospital waiting times and traffic jams are key issues in a marginal seat keenly contested by both major parties, writes Steven Scott.

IN the centre of one of the most marginal seats in Queensland is one of the hospitals with the worst records for waiting times in the state.

It is no surprise, then, that Logan Hospital has taken centre stage in the battle for the hotly contested seat of Forde.

Sitting on a wafer thin 0.7 per cent margin, the electorate stretches from the suburbs around Logan City to parts of the Gold Coast.

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With a fast growing population, services are facing pressure and commuters are stuck in worsening traffic jams.

The seat, which has been described as a “must win” seat by Labor sources, has been receiving plenty of attention during the lead up to the May 18 election.

Both sides have pledged upgrades for the struggling Logan Hospital, which has seen patients waiting more than 24 hours in emergency or giving up and going home.

Forde: Labor candidate Des Hardman and local MP Bert Van Manen.

Labor has matched an LNP promise of $33.4 million for an urgent care service to take the pressure off the hospital’s emergency department.

ALP candidate Des Hardman works as a radiographer at the hospital, giving him a direct understanding of the pressures it faces.

“If something really serious happens, people want to know they have a world class hospital system that they can access when they most need it,” he said.

“Logan Hospital is smack bang in the middle of a very rapidly growing area. We need a federal government that will prioritise health services and do everything they absolutely can to alleviate that pressure.”

Both sides have targeted the seat with a series of infrastructure upgrades including commuter car parks and roadworks on the M1.

Local MP Bert Van Manen nominated infrastructure as the number one issue in the area.

He said he had a “demonstrated track record” in securing funding for upgrades.

“They want to see the M1 fixed,” he said of what constituents tell him.

“When we explain what we are doing there it goes down well.”

Mr Hardman has the advantage of running for the seat at the last election, when he sliced 3.8 per cent off the LNP’s margin, giving him a platform to build off.

He was also nominated as Labor’s candidate in 2013 before being forced to stand aside for Peter Beattie under a plan hatched by then leader Kevin Rudd.

The former premier failed in his bid, seeing a 2.8 per cent swing against Labor in a result that saw Mr Van Manen dubbed “Bert the Beattie beater” in LNP circles.

Mr Van Manen conceded he faces a tough battle to retain the seat but said it had always been marginal.

The MP, who is close to Scott Morrison, said the Prime Minister is popular in his electorate.

But he acknowledged the series of leadership changes still cause angst among some voters.

“At the end of the day we’ve got to communicate the message that despite what went on over the past six years internally, we have been a good government,” he said.