Former Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey on why election candidates should be true locals

Being a true local should be the one of the chief requirements for election candidates. Yet that’s not always the case, writes former Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey.

All politics is local it’s often said. That is especially true at state government level.

No doubt some people will disagree with me, and that’s fine. However, having served the Currumbin community for 16 years as an MP and living in it for 37 years it’s no surprise I am a great believer in candidates for all levels of government whether it be council, state or federal, being true locals. I am on record numerous times rejecting what I call ‘blow-ins” from becoming candidates as I do not have any confidence that they serve the best interests of the residents.

The state government primarily has responsibility schools, police and law and order, and hospitals with shared responsibilities with federal and local government on countless other departments like transport, infrastructure, environment, tourism and more.

There are 93 members of the Queensland Parliament across our vast and beautiful state. All of them represent regions with extremely different landscapes, populations, challenges and issues that are specific to them. They deserve MPs who understand those individual needs and not those their political party has decided to be the candidate brought in from somewhere else.

Often we see highly ambitious politicians move into a favourable electorate that will give them a higher chance of winning. The Leader of the Opposition did that after losing the north Queensland seat of Mundingburra in 2015 when he moved his family to the Gold Coast, beat the sitting female MP in a bitter pre-selection contest, and subsequently won the seat of Broadwater. I hear he has now moved to Brisbane but still represents the Broadwater electorate.

How this is allowed is beyond me.

David Crisafulli pictured in 2015 when he was the member for Mundingburra. Picture: Mark Calleja.

But not all ambitious politicians have the same good fortune.

In 2009 we witnessed an attempt by Peter Dutton to parachute into the federal seat of McPherson on the southern Gold Coast.

Sitting member Margaret May was vacating the seat, and Mr Dutton wanted to switch to the safe Coalition seat of McPherson as he was worried a proposed redistribution would make his seat of Dickson in outer Brisbane nominally Labor and therefore hard to win.

I was part of the pre-selection plebiscite that sent Mr Dutton packing when he was rejected by branch members in favour of Karen Andrews.

McPherson did not want a ‘blow-in’ even if some thought he had leadership potential. He obviously thought he did and was prepared to turn his back on the residents of Dickson who had elected him previously. The LNP would have almost certainly lost the seat of Dickson. Thankfully Peter Dutton decided to run in his home seat of Dickson and won.

Here we are some fifteen years later and he has finally achieved his dream to lead the Liberal Party in the Federal Parliament.

Peter Dutton at the Robina Community Centre in 2009 for the McPherson pre-selection vote that was ultimately won by Karen Andrews.

Politics is not a highly respected profession and politicians don’t fare too well in the popularity stakes. The general concession is far from favourable. For the most part they are not trusted, seem disconnected from the daily grind of their constituents and are seen to be in it for themselves.

Candidates who live locally have a vested interest in the area, they have skin in the game.

They are more likely to vote for what is best for their community and not just what their party tells them to do. I had a reputation for being “obsessed” with Currumbin which was pretty spot on as I did and still do have a very strong attachment to the area, but I did what was expected of me and towed the party line on major policy and legislation.

What residents of Currumbin said mattered to me and coloured my thinking and approach to various issues. Meaningful consultation is paramount. By meaningful I mean just that. Surveys that are not rigged to get a certain answer and results that are shared with the electorate.

This has not been happening where I live at a state or federal level. I’m not sure that our local councillor has done any surveys.

Children of candidates and MPs who live locally go to local schools, shop at local businesses, belong to local sports and community clubs, eat at local restaurants. They know how their neighbourhood ticks. I’d much prefer to have an elected representative who actually lives in the electorate than one who does not.

Former Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey.

I am surprised at just how many MPs and councillors did not or do not actually live in the electorate they represent and then have the hide to say it’s their electorate. It’s not – it’s yours, the people, and it’s your money they spend.

MPs who’ve experienced boundary changes which means they live just outside their electorate boundary are not who I’m talking about. There’s one candidate who lives two electorates away. That’s a blow-in.

Let’s not forget the faithful party branch members, who in most circumstances vote to select a candidate, must live within the electorate boundary so why is there a different ruling for candidates?

These branch volunteers put in countless hours out on booths and out doorknocking in all types of weather.

They rightly deserve to have their say in the selection process and not have captain’s picks by the Leader or party headquarters impose an outsider on them. It happened in my home seat of Currumbin and the branch members were not happy, resigning in droves.

Too many MPs waste their electorate allowances on self-promotion with banners inscribed with their names and faces along sporting ground fences, marquees made in China emblazoned with their name and oversized gift baskets to give away at every function.

Stories have emerged in the Courier Mail of candidates for this election door-knocking or pamphlet dropping in streets not in their electorate. If they don’t even know the area they are supposed to be running for do you really want them representing you?

Yes, there’s some on the Labor benches who have either parachuted themselves or been moved to a ‘safer’ seat by their political party. Much point scoring has gone on in the Parliament when this has occurred. Reminds me of the saying “People in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones.” In politics everything you say can come back to bite you on the bum.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass.

As the state election nears it is obvious the LNP are the clear favourites. Labor have been in power this time around for nine years. Youth crime has escalated on their watch and even though sentencing or lack thereof it is done by judges the buck still stops with the government of the day.

Cost of living, ambulance ramping, teacher, police and nurse and doctor shortages are country-wide.

Most states are facing this dilemma. In fact only two weeks ago NSW nurses were striking for better pay as Queensland Health pay much better wages. How the LNP will fix this remains to be seen as there’s little detail to their policies.

How do you attract more nurses when they are already flocking across the border to Queensland because the pay is way higher? How do you expect doctors to go bush if they don’t want to? Who wants to be a slave to bulk-billing and not be paid their worth? How can you reduce ambulance ramping, a free service in Queensland, when it’s happening right across Australia? Maybe start fining people who make non-urgent or bogus calls that waste time.

Before readers jump down my throat I used to be a nurse in public hospitals and my 74-year-old retired husband has gone back to being a GP a couple of days a week.

Be wary of some of the ‘stretch’ stories candidates tell as they try to make it look like they have an attachment to the region. Some of their experiences are fleeting and sound so insincere.

And if you’ve had enough of the major parties why not consider an Independent?

Jann Stuckey is a former state government minister and member for Currumbin

Originally published as Former Currumbin MP Jann Stuckey on why election candidates should be true locals