Ballot box barrage as 14% in marginal seat of Forde cast vote
More than 14 per cent of voters in the bellwether seat of Forde have already cast their vote with issues such as funding for Logan Hospital driving the ballot box barrage.
Gold Coast
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MORE than 14 per cent of the 107,479 voters in the marginal seat of Forde have cast their vote ahead of Saturday’s federal election.
Pre-polling at Beenleigh, the Hyperdome, Browns Plains, Springwood, Woodridge and the northern Gold Coast were popular for voters over the past week.
Pre-polling started at Beenleigh on Monday, April 29 and since then, more than 7002 people have cast their votes at the George St venue.
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Although the Hyperdome booth only opened a week ago, more than 2992 people have voted there with 1427 casting votes for the electorate on the northern Gold Coast, 1312 in Browns Plains, 1077 at Woodridge and 228 at Springwood.
The 14 per cent figure was up from 9.09 per cent at the 2016 election when more than 8958 people of the total 99,091 voters in Forde cast their votes in the first 11 days of pre-polling.
Despite the high pre-polling figure, campaigning continued with the Labor Party announcing it would spend $29.1million to build 32 more beds at the embattled Logan Hospital where the ALP candidate for Forde Des Hardman works as a radiographer.
Mr Hardman said if Labor won on Saturday, the new government would kickstart Stage 2 of Logan Hospital’s redevelopment funding an extra floor and a new 32-bed ward.
“It will also fund a ‘shell space’ that can be fitted out with a further 32 beds in the future,” he said.
“This will allow the hospital to provide more services and take pressure off the emergency department by reducing ‘bed block’.
“The Logan region is growing rapidly, and its population is ageing and has complex health requirements - putting enormous pressure on local health services.
“Patients and staff know how much pressure Logan Hospital is under. That’s why federal and state Labor are working together to upgrade the hospital and meet demand for health services into the future.”
Today’s funding pledge would add to the State Labor Government’s $281 million commitment to Stage 1 of the hospital overhaul, including 192 extra beds.
That money was bolted on to an early election promise by federal Labor for $33.4 million to build an Urgent and Specialist Care Centre at Logan.
The unit would treat people with urgent but not life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison matched the Labor Party’s funding promise when he visited the Logan Hospital on Saturday, May 4 to announce he would spend $33.4 million to build an urgent care service at the hospital.
Originally published as Ballot box barrage as 14% in marginal seat of Forde cast vote
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