$60k Fadden slush fund never revealed to Kristyn Boulton and Felicity Stevenson voters at Gold Coast council elections

LNP-BACKED council candidates Kristyn Boulton and Felicity Stevenson, who received $60k in donations, face fresh allegations of deliberately hiding party funding during the council poll.

This photo appeared on Stuart Robert's Facebook page in late November 2015, picturing Division 4 councillor Kristyn Boulton.

INDEPENDENT Gold Coast City Council candidates Kristyn Boulton and Felicity Stevenson did not reveal the $60,000 in LNP donations they received through Federal MP Stuart Robert when confronted by voters and rivals during the election.

Candidates in their divisions have also told the Gold Coast Bulletin they were intimidated by a volunteer at a pre-polling booth if they told voters the LNP was bankrolling or backing the party workers.

Mr Robert, for the first time, yesterday revealed he told his former office workers in early February that they would be getting financial backing from his rich fundraising arm, the Fadden Forum, to beat Labor rivals.

Gold Coast MP Stuart Robert. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“I’m fighting Labor. I now have an interest. I will provide you with some support,” he said.

But Facebook posts, community debates and verbal exchanges at the pre-polling booths by early March show neither Ms Boulton nor Ms Stevenson told anyone their biggest financial backer was their former boss.

On February 18 on Facebook, Ms Stevenson wrote: “Honesty and transparency are important so I thank you for contacting me to ask these questions. I am funding my campaign from my own savings and local supporters.

“I have recieved (sic) no funding from developers. I am not a member of any political party. I have not received funding from any political party.”

Division Five candidate Felicity Stevenson.

Stacey Schinnerl and Mr Sarroff, both linked to Labor but running an independents in divisions 4 and 5, said a voter approached Ms Boulton at pre-polling to ask if the LNP was “bankrolling her campaign”.

They said she replied: “If I am, I’m not aware of it.”

Ray “Santa” Strohfeldt, a Division 4 candidate who was at pre-polling at Southport, said he was verbally threatened by volunteers working for Ms Boulton.

“I mentioned I knew about her getting $30,000,” he said.

“One of her people came up and threatened me. He said ‘if you say anything else I will sue you (for defamation)’. I said: ‘Do you want my walking stick and thongs? I rent.’”

City of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. Photo: David Clark

Ms Boulton yesterday said she could recall an incident with Mr Sarroff about allegations of LNP backing but “I took no notice of it as it came from him and his political people”.

“Stu told me sometime at the end of January or early February that he would provide some funds to help me beat Eddy,” she said. “Eddy thought he would have an easy run with a retiring councillor.”

As a furore erupted about hidden donations, former city councillor Grant Pforr, who lost to Cameron Caldwell in 2012, took aim at Mr Robert.

Council candidate signage at the Helensvale Library pre-polling venue during the 2016 election. Picture: by David Clark

“So you also supported three candidates in the local councillor elections, bet the voters didn’t know that,” he wrote on Facebook. “What about the 2012 election funding too? You don’t represent the people.”

Both Mr Robert and Cr Caldwell yesterday stood by their reported donations in 2012, saying no money passed between the two in 2012 for political campaigns.

Cr Caldwell last night said: “I received no funding from the Fadden Forum or Stuart Robert at either the 2012 or 2016 council elections. I will make the required declarations in due course.

Division 4 councillor Kristyn Boulton is believed to have received funds from Federal Member for Fadden Stuart Robert during the recent council elections Photo: David Clark

“I worked for Stu for eight years. I did most of his community engagement, including running six seniors’ expos with him. Most people know I worked for Stu and if they asked I always told them.

“I never denied working in Stu’s office and if I was asked about campaign funding I always made it known that I would disclose everything in the required time period. I also made it clear I was running as an independent because I am.”

On Wednesday, Mr Robert told the Bulletin he had “booted” both women out of his office once they announced they were standing as independents.

“There was no party platform. I wasn’t out there campaigning with her (Ms Boulton). (They were) fully independent from me and the party,” he said.

However, Facebook photographs surfaced yesterday showing the MP posing with Ms Boulton on several occasions, including at her “campaign launch” event in November 2015 with fellow councillors William Owen-Jones and Mr Caldwell.

Ms Stevenson has not returned numerous calls from the Bulletin in the past two days.