Gold Coast Power 100 2019: Coast political list set for major shake-up ahead of 2020 elections

The political map on the Gold Coast is destined to undergo its most dramatic change in the next 12 months. Here’s what we know will happen to Coast’s most powerful political players.

THE political map on the Gold Coast is destined to undergo its most dramatic change in the next 12 months. Some pollies will retire, others lose in state and local government elections.

While Mayor Tom Tate is the outstanding favourite to win the council poll in March next year, if he gets re-elected for a third time there will be some major changes in his team.

Council candidate signage at the Helensvale Library which was a pre-polling venue during the last campaign. Photo: David Clark.

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Meanwhile in the State poll in October, Labor’s focus is on retaining Meaghan Scanlon in her Gaven seat and winning back Currumbin where long standing LNP MP Jann Stuckey will retire.

A Labor political strategist told The Bulletin: “We are targeting about six seats on the Gold Coast. Our hope is we will get three.

“Michael Hart (in Burleigh) is not seen as an outstanding performer. The demographic is changing in Currumbin (with the strong Green vote) and Coomera as well is in our sights.”

Labor will also target Mark Boothman in Theodore and rookie MP Sam O’Connor in Bonney.

The ALP remains hopeful of an upset in Southport, viewing LNP MP Rob Molhoek as “dropping the ball” by not supporting new tourism infrastructure with the global tourism hub.

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Meaghan Scanlon at pre-polling during the last campaign. Photo by Richard Gosling.

But senior LNP figures on the back of their federal election results believe the party can win Gaven, securing government.

The Palaszczuk Government is wounded after integrity scandals, and Coast crime with recent bikie murders along with consistent ramping of ambulances waiting outside the Gold Coast University Hospital will impact on the Labor vote, they say.

Ms Scanlon beat the LNP MP Sid Cramp on a two-party preferred basis by 378 votes in 2017. Her margin is 3.5 per cent but the Green vote helped her secure the seat.

Labor believes One Nation will play a role by standing a candidate in a this poll.

“People do not like One Nation on the Gold Coast. Deb Frecklington will need to do a deal with them. That will hurt them,” the Labor strategist said.

LNP insiders are privately less confident about retaining Currumbin where Ms Stuckey did not get her preferred candidate across the line in preselection.

“There is general concern about the seat of Currumbin. There is also worries about Burleigh. There’s disdain down here about a light rail, and Michael Hart is being viewed as silent about it,” an LNP source said.

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Jann Stuckey is to retire. Photo: Steve Pohlner.

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More predictable at this point is the mayoral election where Cr Tate faces only three opponents — health author and businesswoman Mona Hecke, Robina resident Virginia Freebody who operates a dry cleaning service and businessman Brett Lambert.

Reports after the 2016 poll show Mayor Tom Tate self-funded his own campaign at a cost of $182,000. He secured 63.95 per cent of the vote. Mr Lambert polled 3.01 per cent, gaining 8151 votes.

Ms Hecke ran second to Councillor Paul Taylor in his division in 2016 and a year later lost to MP Ray Stevens in the state election, which she contested as an independent.

City Hall is guaranteed to see at least two new councillors with veterans Dawn Crichlow in Southport and Gary Baildon in Surfers Paradise retiring.

A third councillor will not be returned if Cameron Caldwell and Kristyn Boulton as predicted, due to the boundary changes, run against each other in the new Division Four.

The speculation around City Hall is veteran Paul Taylor, despite announcing he will run in the new Surfers Paradise-Broadbeach division, may change his mind in the New Year.

But the biggest changes are likely around the so-called “leadership group” with the Mayor sustaining his worst loss in the chamber recently where councillors overwhelmingly voted for a package which saved Black Swan Lake.

“The councillors who have been around for awhile are already having conversations about a third term, how things might change, how they might be better, how they can be more collaborative,” a council insider said.

“There will be changes around governance and the budgetary process, reforming the budgetary and finance committee.”

Mayor Tom Tate. Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS

One strong possibility is the return of a governance committee along with reducing the role of the economy, planning and environment committee to spread the workload across other committees.

The Community Alliance which represents 15 groups across the city will not nominate a preferred mayoral candidate but president John Hicks said the newly formed organisation would keep a close watch on the campaign.

“We are not a political organisation. We work within the political framework,” Mr Hicks said.

“Our intention is to help people know their candidates and what they stand for so they can make better decisions. City planning, height and management and growth, how it is managed — I hope that issue comes at the top of the pile (during the campaign). It’s about the future of the city and how values and idea are best to shape that future.”