Challenge with Palaszczuk Govt to deliver for Coast: Rudd
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd says the State Labor Government must deliver for the Sunshine Coast after Labor claimed the seats of Caloundra and Nicklin.
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Former prime minister and ex-Nambour High School student Kevin Rudd says the challenge now lies with the re-elected State Labor Government to deliver for the Sunshine Coast in order to grow its presence.
Labor appeared to have secured a strong foothold in the region, having claimed victory in the seats of Caloundra and Nicklin, although a recount was under way in the latter.
Mr Rudd - who several months ago returned to live at Sunshine Beach with wife Therese Rein - was in Nambour today with Labor’s Nicklin candidate Rob Skelton, who was poised to take the seat off LNP incumbent Marty Hunt.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk claimed victory in the seat late Wednesday night.
Mr Rudd said the future of the Sunshine Coast was “important for the nation” and the region had always been a “community full of battlers”.
He said he thought the LNP had become complacent in the region and the long-held belief that it was conservative heartland had bred that complacency.
Mr Rudd said the challenge was now with the State Government to deliver for the region if it wanted to increase its number of seats on the Coast.
He said he’d felt a change was on the way when campaigning in Yandina with Mr Skelton, and anticipated the rookie candidate would prevail after the recount.
Mr Rudd said Nicklin was an area “ripe for an effective local member” and said small businesses were doing it tough.
“This is a part of the world that needs government to provide them with a helping hand,” he said.
Mr Rudd said the assumption that Nicklin was “rolled gold, Liberal National Party territory” was incorrect, and the results had shown that the electorate was owned by the people and “people are doing it tough”.
It was understood just 79 votes separated Mr Skelton and Mr Hunt, sparking the LNP’s request for a recount, which was granted, with fresh counting taking place.
Mr Rudd said his research had shown the last time a Labor MP represented the Nicklin area was in 1920 and he said former long-serving independent MP Peter Wellington’s tenure was an example of what a local member should do.
He said Mr Wellington had “worked his butt off” in Nicklin, as he gave Mr Skelton an example to base his likely new career upon.
Originally published as Challenge with Palaszczuk Govt to deliver for Coast: Rudd
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