Gold Coast Election 2020: One Nation announce candidates in Gaven, Currumbin
A controversial party has entered the fight for the Gold Coast in the upcoming state election - the Bulletin can reveal they’ve announced a candidate in what will be Queensland’s most critical seat. SUBSCRIBE TO READ THE FULL SERIES
Council Election 2020
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ONE Nation is returning to the fight on the Gold Coast in one of Queensland’s most critical seats this upcoming October election.
The Bulletin can reveal Pauline Hanson’s outspoken right-wing party will stand candidates in both Gaven and Currumbin, and is expected to announce more candidates in coming weeks.
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Political analysts predict the LNP will need One Nation’s preferential votes to topple the city’s only sitting Labor MP, Gaven’s Meaghan Scanlon, and maintain their hold on other electorates.
Poll results in the March by-election show One Nation preferences helped Currumbin MP Laura Gerber.
FORMER CURRUMBIN MP: CHRISTIAN RIGHT-WINGERS DICTATING LNP
The One Nation party experienced a record surge in popularity in the lead up to the 2017 election after they publicly opposed development on The Spit.
Shock results released in May 2017 saw One Nation’s primary vote sitting at 18.5 per cent, with LNP polling at 31.8 per cent and Labor on 27 per cent at the same time.
One Nation’s Gaven candidate, Nerang business owner Sharon Sewell said she volunteered herself to run in the vital seat.
“I’m well aware of how close (Gaven) is to the Labor party because I watched it very closely in the last election,” she said.
“I put my hand up because I love the area so much, I live here.”
Asked about the LNP’s predicted reliance on One Nation’s preferential votes she said: “We haven’t made our decisions on preferences yet.
“All I want to focus on is my campaign and getting balance in the Queensland Government for One Nation.”
One Nation didn’t run a candidate in Gaven in 2017.
Current polling shows the party decreased from 15 per cent to 12 per cent after their matriarch kept a low profile during the pandemic.
LNP candidate Kirsten Jackson said the LNP had “ruled out deals with minor parties”.
“Only a majority LNP Government will get Queensland working again,’ she said.
“The LNP has ruled out deals with minor parties and has introduced laws to abolish compulsory preferential voting - a change Labor made without any public consultation.
“Queenslanders shouldn’t have to vote for a party or candidate they don’t want to vote for.
“This election is about who has an economic plan to get Queensland out of recession.
“Our vision is to make Queensland the economic powerhouse of Australia once again, the best place to get a job, get ahead and raise a family.”
LNP ANNOUNCES GAVEN CANDIDATE, TAKES AIM AT MP
One Nation’s Currumbin candidate Glen Wadsworth said his campaign will focus on a post-COVID recovery plan and prioritise the area’s crime rates.
“The Gold Coast has faced enormous financial setback facing the coronavirus, along with the State Government’s poor decision to keep the border closed for so long,” he said.
“Not a day goes by where I’m not speaking to other business operators who are terribly worried about their longevity in the wake of this pandemic.”
One Nation’s 2017 Currumbin candidate Andy Semple withdrew from the race after only a single day in the running after he was asked by the party to delete an offensive tweet.
Without a candidate there was a -3.7 per cent swing away from the party at the polls.
MORE ON THE ELECTION
THE Greens say they are preparing for the Gold Coast to become a new hot spot for support as they announce a number of candidates to stand in the October State Government election.
The announcement of multiple party candidates across the city has boosted the stocks of sitting Gaven Labor MP Meaghan Scanlon.
Ms Scanlon won Gaven with a margin of just 3.5 per cent, beating then LNP MP Sid Cramp on a two-party preferred basis by 378 votes.
Ultimately, it was the Greens preferences — with Gaven candidate Sally Spain, who will stand again in October — that got Labor across the line.
Ms Spain received 10.8 per cent of the vote with a positive swing of 4.7 per cent.
Political analysts say the decision to stand against Ms Spain will prove a boost to Ms Scanlon.
The Greens will stand candidates in six of the 10 Gold Coast electorates. Party strategists are hopeful of a strong swing towards the party due to post-COVID disenchantment with the LNP and Labor.
Experienced campaigners suggested during the Currumbin by-election this year that Labor could get as much as 70 per cent of preferences from the Greens.
Asked whether she was concerned about standing against the Greens, LNP and One Nation candidates, Ms Scanlon said: “I never take my seat for granted.
“Election day is the deciding factor of whether you’ve done your job properly or not so I continue to work hard for the interests of everyone in my community.”
Ms Spain was also asked whether she was concerned about the Greens becoming a deciding force in the Gaven result.
She said: “The Greens are standing for Greens policies. (The LNP and One Nation candidates) don’t really concern us. We have fully costed Greens policies.”
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Among the wave of new Greens faces is Burleigh candidate Rachel Mebberson.
New Currumbin candidate Peter Burgoyne stood in Burleigh at the 2017 election, winning 16.1 per cent of the vote with a 5.2 per cent swing in favour of the party on previous years.
Ms Mebberson, a Burleigh local working two jobs during the campaign, said she had become “disillusioned with politics” herself before stepping up to campaign.
“I don’t really feel like my values are represented in Parliament, which is why I’m standing to say, ‘I think we can do things different, I think there’s a better way’,” she said.
The Greens may be counting on a swing away from the major parties in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, according to Mudgeeraba candidate Scott Turner.
Mr Turner, who also ran in Division 12 at the Gold Coast City Council elections this year, said the party was hoping to build on momentum from the previous state election.
“In 2017 we did get a swing towards us, which was good because it had been pretty well flat before that,” he said.
“The sentiment is out there, particularly with the coronavirus disruption, that people have realised it is possible to do things differently.
“It’s about moving beyond the idea that we’re a single-issue party and connecting with people who are disillusioned with the major parties.”
GREENS CANDIDATES ON THE GOLD COAST
- Sally Spain, Gaven
- Peter Burgoyne, Currumbin
- Rachel Mebberson, Burleigh
- April Broadbent, Broadwater
- Scott Turner, Mudgeeraba
- Amin Javanmard, Bonney
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