Federal election 2025: LNP fears losing Gold Coast seats to cashed-up teal candidates

LNP powerbrokers fear the conservatives are in danger of losing their grip on the Gold Coast’s blue ribbon seats as cashed-up teal candidates launch a serious push into Liberal heartland.

LNP powerbrokers fear the conservatives are in danger of losing their grip on the Gold Coast’s blue ribbon seats as teal candidates launch a serious push into Liberal heartland.

The Coalition has held the city’s three core seats for all but a brief period since their creation and are odds on favourites to retain them again at next year’s federation election.

A group called McPherson independent has been established by “a self-funded group of volunteers” to invest their time and money in “recruiting and support an independent candidate to run for the seat of McPherson at the next Federal Election.”

Senator David Pocock Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Its launch on Friday coincides with independent Senator David Pocock giving a speech at Robina TAFE.

The group is aiming to find a candidate to take on the LNP’s Leon Rebello, who has been preselected to replace the retiring long-term MP Karen Andrews.

Lawyer Leon Rebello, with his old boss Julie Bishop. Picture: Instagram

The move has worried LNP party leaders who fear changing demographics and a cashed-up third party machine could spell danger for the conservatives.

“The problem with the teals is the amount of money they can throw at it and if they are focusing on McPherson, it will make it harder for us to win,” the party source said.

“(Former federal treasurer) Josh Frydenberg got rolled for god sake, so it wouldn’t take much to flip McPherson, especially if you get (some of) the LNP voters plus Labor voters, then it is game over, so we have to keep a close eye on it.

“If it is a candidate who is good and high-profile, it will make our life harder because the person who has been preselected hasn’t got anywhere near the public profile Karen Andrews currently has and there is a real Greens-voting belt down there too.”

Angie Bell MP. Picture: Supplied

McPherson Matters, a “community democracy group recently released its McPherson Listening Report which it says was compiled from 250 residents of the electorate based on 49 kitchen table conversations in the past seven months and found issues of concern were cost-of-living pressure, economic inequality, housing affordability and climate change.

Group spokesman Malcolm Edgar said

“Participating in the McPherson Listening project and seeing the kitchen table conversation process, I have been inspired by my own community’s desire to engage with difficult issues in a meaningful and positive way,” he said.

“People are worried about the future generation’s quality of life.

“They are troubled by affordable housing, cost of living stress, transport and climate issues.

“We need a government making the right decisions for the people who live here and thinking long-term”.