Collusion claims in bitter Gold Coast council poll battle
Complaints alleging collusion between Gold Coast deputy mayor Donna Gates and a candidate in her former seat have been sent to the Crime and Corruption Commission and Electoral Commission.
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COMPLAINTS alleging collusion between Gold Coast deputy mayor Donna Gates and a candidate in her former seat have been sent to the Crime and Corruption Commission and Electoral Commission.
The two watchdogs have been asked to investigate after video emerged of Cr Gates handing out how-to-vote cards for Division 1 candidate Mark Hammel, as well as photos of him with her campaign signs.
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Both Cr Gates and Mr Hammel strongly denied any collusion, saying candidates were helping each other out during the coronavirus crisis.
Cr Gates, who is running for Division 3 after boundary changes in Division 1 in the Coast’s far north, said any suggestion of collusion was ‘ridiculous’.
“I haven’t colluded with a soul and have run my own race. If Mark Hammel picked up a corflute for me, big deal. Who cares?,” she said.
Cr Gates said she had endorsed Mr Hammel because she believed he was the best candidate to look after her former constituents, but that did not amount to collusion.
“Did I hand out how to vote cards for Mark Hammel? Yes I did,” she said.
“But I haven’t colluded with anyone at any stage.”
Mr Hammel said he welcomed any CCC or ECQ investigation ‘because there has never been any collusion between myself and Cr Gates’.
He said he had once put some of Cr Gates’ signs away to help her volunteers after they were stood down for coronavirus safety reasons.
“I have tried to do the right thing by all other Division 1 candidates and have helped them out regularly by putting their election signs back up when they have fallen over,” he said.
“It’s just common courtesy, being a good sport and has nothing whatsoever to do with collusion.”
One of Mr Hammel’s rivals, Pat Reynolds, said he was ‘absolutely gobsmacked’ at the video of Cr Gates endorsing Mr Hammel and the photos of him with her campaign signs.
“This is a bloke who is spending more than $100,000 on his campaign for a council seat,” Mr Reynolds said.
“Everyone else is doing a real grassroots campaign and the deputy mayor is openly supporting him. That’s what has peeved me more than anything but all it has done is make me work harder.
“I’ve got blisters on blisters from pounding the streets.”
Mr Hammel said his campaign was ‘completely’ self-funded and he was a true independent candidate.
Another Division 1 candidate, Young Liberal member Alex Pokarier, has also been embroiled in controversy after revelations he had lost his licence for 27 months for drink-driving and disqualified driving.
Originally published as Collusion claims in bitter Gold Coast council poll battle
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