Why Maroochydore, Coolum Beach, Nambour booths are pivotal in Fairfax this election 2022

From heavy rail to Covid-19, Sunshine Coast voters with the power to swing the federal election reveal the issues that matter most to them. See the full list of volatile booths

Maroochydore is the home of what is hoped to be the Sunshine Coast’s future buzzing and vibrant city centre.

With the first office building already completed and a hotel, private hospital and town hall well on their way, it’s fair to say the region’s eyes are on the new CBD with great anticipation of what else is still to come.

But there is another reason why Maroochydore should be watched.

The suburb which is in the centre of Liberal heartland swings.

An exclusive News Corp analysis has identified the booth at Maroochydore High School as being “volatile” – capable of voting for a different party at least three times in the past six elections.

Maroochydore is part of the Fairfax electorate, held by the LNP’s Ted O’Brien.

The research revealed voters at Maroochydore High shifted their support three times in the past six elections.

Liberal was the flavour of 2004 and 2007 and the Liberal National Party in 2010.

That changed in 2013 when mining mogul Clive Palmer won the seat with his Palmer United Party and snapped it off his then opponent Mr O’Brien with a final margin of 53 votes.

But Mr Palmer’s reign was short-lived – for the past two elections the booth supported Mr O’Brien.

It is that history that suggests the views of the voters in this booth speak volumes about how the main players are faring ahead of the federal election set for May 21.

Mr O’Brien’s chief rival will be Labor candidate and nurse Sue Ferguson.

But a street poll suggests support for Labor was sparse in the Maroochydore booth.

Maroochydore retiree and former small business owner Tracey McFadden said she would never vote Labor and 2022 would not be an exception.

“I like (Prime Minister) Scott Morrison,” she said.

“I think he’s a great leader and has done a great job considering what we’ve been through with the pandemic.”

Residents told the Sunshine Coast Daily the government’s response to Covid-19 would be front of mind when they cast their votes.

Maroochydore retiree Tracey McFadden says she was thankful about how the federal government responded to Covid-19.

Ms McFadden, 62, was forced to shut her small business when Covid-19 hit in March 2020 but opened it again six months later just after the federal government introduced grants to keep the economy going.

As a result, Ms McFadden said, the business went “gangbusters” and she received an offer she was unable to refuse, sold up and retired.

“I think (Mr Morrison’s) response and support was fantastic and very helpful,” she said.

While grants have helped some, strict Covid-19 restrictions have affected others.

Sales representative Mark Mendoza said he was vaccinated and had received his booster shot but friends were not because they disagreed with a government forcing them to get the jab.

“Some of my friend’s businesses have been affected because they can’t get their workers in and they’re losing patrons for the same reasons because for many of them they have core values that go against it,” he said.

Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien makes heavy rail from Brisbane to Maroochydore an election issue. Picture: Gary Ramage

Heavy rail connecting Brisbane to Maroochydore and better public transport were also big issues for voters.

Mr O’Brien who lives in Buderim has added the issue to his campaign agenda and lobbied his federal government to include $1.6bn to be matched by the State Government in the budget.

The 37km passenger rail line would connect to Maroochydore CBD from Beerwah via the Caloundra and Maroochydore Corridor Options Study line and pass through new stations at Caloundra and Kawana.

However, the Labor State Government is yet to support the project, pointing out that only $250m to be spent between now and 2026 were actually included in the budget.

Maroochydore sales representative Mark Mendoza says Covid-19 will be a big issue for voters.

Mr Mendoza, 26, said he would throw his support behind the project.

“I think the rail is an excellent idea,” he said. “Putting some public transport between Maroochydore and Brisbane would increase accessibility for those without private transport.”

Maroochydore High was among nine volatile booths across the region, with eight in Fairfax, such as in Coolum Beach, Kuluin and Nambour, and one – Conondale State School – in Fisher.

According to 2016 census data, the nearly 20,000 residents who call Maroochydore home are a mixed bag of ages and backgrounds.

Most of them are single or couples with no children, have no qualifications, and live in medium or high density homes.

Further up the Coast in Coolum Beach and closer to Labor candidate Ms Ferguson’s home ground of Peregian Springs, demographics start to change and with that, seemingly, political views.

Registered nurse and midwife Sue Ferguson is the federal Labor candidate for Fairfax.

Most people are parents and homebuilders, living in separate homes. And fewer people come from overseas.

Coolum Beach small business owner Mick Goossens said he knows what he wants – and that’s a change in government.

“I made my mind up some months ago and I won’t be voting for this government,” he said.

“I think they’ve let us down in a big way. Mostly with their management of Covid, but it’s now getting to the point where everything they touch turns to dirt.”

Integrity, or the lack of, and a waste of money were behind his reasoning.

Even heavy rail to Maroochydore was too expensive, he said.

“I don’t see any need for trains and trams like they have in the Gold Coast and other cities,” he said.

“I think they need to think outside the box and have aerial things that don’t take up as much land.”

Coolum Beach small business owner Mick Goossens says he won't be voting for the LNP this election.

See their comments in full:

Mick Goossens, 66, Coolum, small business owner

“I made my mind up some months ago and I won’t be voting for this government. I think they’ve let us down in a big way. Mostly with their management of Covid, but it’s now getting to the point where everything they touch turns to dirt.”

“We need a federal integrity commission, there’s too much nonsense coming from both sides. Wasted money, all governments do it but this one seems to have reached new highs. Especially with our debt levels at the moment, they were supposedly meant to be good at running the economy yet our debt has gone up over the last nine years. They were once very good at it, but not now.”

“I don’t think they can lay claim to unemployment falling down, it’s falling because the borders are closed, that’s the bottom line. If the borders were open we would have all the Labor that we needed in this country and we would still have five per cent or greater unemployment.”

“That’s how I see it. I know what it’s like, I employ people and know where they’re from and what their abilities are.”

“I think the (heavy rail project) they’re planning will cost a lot of money.”

“What I see as a better option for all on the Coast is to have some type of monorail which runs on existing traffic islands. You could cover the whole of Nicklin Way running right through to Maroochydore without having to use as much land.

“They even put in provision for rail up around the Bunnings in Maroochydore and then they pulled it back. It wasn’t that many years ago, we had a gap in the road there.”

“I don’t see any need for trains and trams like they have in the Gold Coast and other cities, I think they need to think outside the box and have aerial things that don’t take up as much land.”

Tracey McFadden, 62, retired, Maroochydore

“I already had my mind made up anyway, I would never vote Labor for lots of reasons. I used to run a small business and that‘s how I vote, Liberal. I like Scott Morrison, I think he’s great, I trust him and believe is doing a good job but he gets a lot of criticism which I don’t think is necessary. I think he’s a great leader and has done a great job considering what we’ve been through with the pandemic.”

“He handles himself very well. We’ve got so much going on in the world, all you can do is steer with a steady hand I think that’s what he’s doing and you can’t be making promises you can’t come through with either and that’s one thing I think the opposition is doing, they make all these promises but don’t have the stuff to back it up with.”

“I think his response and support was fantastic and very helpful. We used to have a business and had to close it down in March 2020 for six months then reopened and it went gangbusters which was amazing, then we got an offer we couldn’t refuse and sold it.”

“They did everything to help small businesses in that first 12 months and governments don’t have eternal money.”

“We definitely need a rail system. I lived in Brisbane for 20 years then came back here eight month ago and the place has changed, the hospital has completely changed the place but we definitely need that rail system from here and Brisbane.”

“We definitely need the heavy rail system and double lines. Maybe a better bus system too and better public transport in general. I’m not sure about light rail, I don’t know if people would use it.”

“People want to live here but will still probably want to work in Brisbane, they don’t necessarily have to anymore, but to have a really good heavy rail system will be very beneficial.”

Mark Mendoza, 29, sales representative, Maroochydore

“The first thing that springs to my mind are Covid restrictions. I’ve got the double vax and the booster shot and I’m more than happy to do it, but I’ve got some friends that aren’t for it, they don’t like that they’re forced to do it to do normal things and I understand why they feel a bit hard done by the fact they have to. Some of the restrictions have lifted which is great, but I’m thinking of my mates that are affected by this.”

“Some of my friend’s businesses have been affected because they can’t get their workers in and they’re losing patrons for the same reasons because for many of them they have core values that go against it.”

“I think the rail is an excellent idea, putting some public transport between Maroochydore and Brisbane would increase accessibility for those without private transport. In terms of light versus heavy rail, I don’t have the knowledge to know the key differences between the two, but a more accessible system between the two cities would be great.

“I think things like highway upgrades that connect bigger places with small towns is a great thing and is important for the smaller areas, but I think cost is an important factor. If those developments’ costs are excessive then perhaps alternatives should be looked at instead. They would obviously reduce congestion too which is always a good thing especially for trade workers and those that do a lot of driving for work.“