Gold Coast City Council election 2024: New Division 7 councillorJoe Wilkinson’s ‘ranga’ welcome from Mayor Tom Tate

The election of a new Gold Coast councillor has kicked off a bizarre debate over hair colour, with Mayor Tom Tate declaring “rangas” are “what the Gold Coast is all about”. VIDEO

Incoming Arundel councillor Joe Wilkinson’s hair colour took centre stage on the day he was declared the winner of the tightly contested Division 7.

Mr Wilkinson was welcomed to the political scene by his close friend, long-serving Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek in an Instagram post which read “Congrats @Joe4division7 a ranga” followed by hashtags of “diversity” and “multiculturalism”.

John-Paul Langbroek's Instagram post about Joe Wilkinson welcoming him to politics.

But Mayor Tom Tate declined to criticise the post, welcoming Mr Wilkinson and declaring people with red hair were “what the Gold Coast is all about”.

“I didn’t even know he was a ranga, what can I say,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter, Bob La Castra’s opposition ran on diversity and in his words, ‘I don’t know if a anyone knows but I’m black’.

“(William) Owen-Jones, the retired councillor, was a ranga, so you know, lose one ranga, gain one ranga, that’s what the Gold Coast is all about.”