Follow our live coverage of the federal election with local updates
THE LNP has claimed victory in the Gold Coast’s three Federal seats while things are a lot tighter just to the north in Forde where the seat will not be decided until later in the week.
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THE result of yesterday’s election is not expected to be known until at least Tuesday, with the poll on a knife edge.
The outcome in the northern Gold Coast seat of Forde remains lineball as incumbent MP Bert Van Manen’s career hangs in the balance following a strong challenge from Labor’s Des Hardman.
Mr Van Manen and his staff went to ground yesterday and LNP sources were surprised at the size of the swing against the incumbent.
The Bulletin has been told there is also disappointment that the Coalition’s campaign headquarters did not put more resources into the marginal seat.
“It’s a marginal which they were treating as a safe seat which is why we are in trouble now,” a highly place source said.
Here’s how election day unfolded on the Gold Coast:
10.06PM
FORDE MP Bert van Manen has hunkered down with his volunteers for the razor’s edge race for the seat.
A spokeswoman for Mr van Manen said he was having a private function with volunteers tonight and that he media, including the Gold Coast Bulletin, would not be welcome.
She said Mr van Manen would not be commenting tonight because the race was too close to call.
Labor challenger Des Hardman currently holds the projected two-party preferred lead with 50.33 per cent of the vote.
10.01PM
THE mood at the post-election party of Forde Labor candidate Des Hardman is jubilant as they settle in for a long night of counting in the tight race.
Mr Hardman has a slim lead over LNP incumbent Bert van Manen with Mr Hardman on 50.33 per cent of the projected two-party preferred vote.
“We expected it to be close because of the work we put in,” Mr Hardman said.
The candidate said he was ready for a long night of counting and agreed the outcome might not be known for several days.
About 40 volunteers are waiting for the results with Mr Hardman and his family at the Beenleigh Neighbourhood Centre.
They have been snacking on pizza as chips and a few quiet drinks as they watch the results trickle in on TV.
9.14PM
THE Gold Coast could have a new Labor MP in a nail biting election contest which might determine the fate of the next Parliament.
In the northern seat of Forde, the outcome has ramifications wider than the city finally having an ALP representative in what has been a conservative stronghold.
Just after 9pm, Labor’s Des Hardman was ahead of sitting LNP MP Bert van Manen.
The primary vote for Mr van Manen was 2.4 per cent down on the 2013 result and Mr Hardman had increased Labor’s vote by almost five per cent.
Mr van Manen was on a slim 4.4 per cent margin after defeating Labor’s Peter Beattie in 2013.
On a two candidate count for the seat, Mr van Manen was ahead with 50.26 per cent of the vote.
An LNP source told the Gold Coast Bulletin: “The seat of Forde is looking very close. It’s one of five Gold Coast seats. If Bert van Manen loses, it might come into play on whether there could be a change in government.”
The Gold Coast Bulletin was unsuccessful in obtaining comment from the van Manen camp.
Another LNP source said: “The party has gone to ground in Forde. Party members are stunned by the swing against the LNP. They were surprised by the strength of Labor on the ground.”
8.41PM
NATIONALS candidate for the Tweed seat of Richmond Matthew Fraser admits things are looking dire for his attempt to unseat the ALP’s Justine Elliot.
Mr Fraser has spoken to the faithful at his post-election function at Tweed Heads Bowls Club.
The sombre event has more than 40 supporters while he gives a speech thanking his friends and family.
8.38PM
LABOR has vowed to fight on and target Gold Coast federal seats in future elections with LNP MPs Stuart Robert, Steve Ciobo and Karen Andrews all returned to their safe seats.
The counting by 8.30 tonight showed each of the conservative MPs had sustained some electoral damage.
Mr Ciobo in Moncrieff, on a two party preferred count, was facing a swing against him of 3.7 per cent.
Mr Robert in Fadden had a swing against him of 3.07 per cent in his northern Coast seat.
His primary vote was down by 4.35 per cent on the 2013 campaign.
Ms Andrews in the southern Coast seat of McPherson had a swing against her of 2.14 per cent.
Both Ms Andrews and Mr Ciobo had increased their primary vote by a small percentage.
But the result was due to all the candidates receiving a spread of votes by not having the Palmer United Party run on the Coast.
During the 2013 campaign, PUP candidates on the tourist strip received up to 16 per cent of the vote.
What was not known before voting today was where that vote would be delivered, which party or candidate would pick up those voters.
Some political analysts believed both the LNP and Labor would get five per cent each with the independents and minor parties sharing the rest.
Labor Party organiser Rana Watson tonight told the Bulletin the consistent trend was the sitting members had a swing against them.
The problem for ALP on the Coast was all the LNP enjoy huge margins, owning the safest conservative seats in the country.
“We worked very hard (in Fadden) and the outcome is a swing towards us, no doubt,” Mr Watson said.
“I think that’s reflective of Stuart’s (recent) history. At the end of the day we will continue to fight and strive to win the seat.”
8.11PM:
FADDEN MP Stuart Robert has been easily retained in his northern Gold Coast seat despite a swing against him.
He has claimed victory at the party he’s banned the Gold Coast Bulletin from attending.
Mr Robert took a 4.15 per cent swing against him, which was picked up by Labor’s Meagahn Scanlon.
But the big news was the 11.5 per cent swing to One Nation candidateBrendan Ball.
Mr Robert is celebrating his election night party with State MP Verity Barton and former MP David Crisafulli.
Mr Robert has not allowed the Gold Coast Bulletin to attend.
GOLD COAST BULLETIN BANNED FROM LNP PARTIES
8.03PM:
EMBATTLED Fadden MP, the LNP’s Stuart Robert has claimed victory.
Mr Robert claimed victory about 8pm at his post-election party, which was closed to the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Mr Robert had 60.69 per cent of the vote after 23 of 34 polling places’s votes had been counted, well ahead of Labor’s Meaghan Scanlon.
According to the AEC website, this represtned a 3.67 per cent swing away from Mr Robert.
8.01pm:
LABOR is ahead in the two marginal seats north and south of Gold Coast, according to the early count of votes.
In Richmond, south of the border, the ALP’s Justine Elliot has after more than 50,000 votes were counted, has moved ahead of rival Matthew Fraser from the Nationals.
Despite a swing against the ALP of just more than four per cent on the primary vote, Ms Elliot remains ahead on a two-party preferred basis. She is tracking at 53 per cent compared to Mr Fraser on 46 per cent.
She will benefit from preferences from the Greens with their vote up by more than eight per cent.
In Forde, north of the Coast, the race between Labor and the LNP is too close to call.
Sitting LNP MP Bert van Manen on the two candidate vote is just behind Labor’s Des Hardman.
Labor has 50.5 per cent of the total vote.
7.42PM:
THE LNP is on course to retain the seat of Wright, west of the Gold Coast despite strong early results for One Nation.
Early counting shows the party’s sitting MP, Scott Bucholz has more than 42 per cent of the primary vote with Labor’s Allistair Smith trailing on about 21 per cent.
The big change in the seat on the early count is the performance of One Nation with their candidate Rod Smith polling ahead of Labor with more than 24 per cent of the vote.
Mr Buchholz on a two party preferred count has more than 59 per cent of the vote.
7.22PM:
THE northern Gold Coast seat of Forde is living up to its reputation as a marginal seat given the early polling results.
LNP MP Bert van Manen is facing an early swing against him of almost 4 per cent. He only has a margin of 4.4 per cent.
Labor’s vote is more than 6 per cent better than in 2013. Just more than 9800 votes have been counted at 7.20pm.
The early results looking at the flow of preferences just Mr Hardman is just ahead on a two-party preferred basis with 50.6 per cent of the vote.
7.13PM:
EARLY polling in Stuart Robert’s northern Gold Coast seat of Fadden shows a stunning swing to One Nation.
After more than 6000 votes had been counted just after 7pm, Mr Robert’s primary vote was almost 44 per cent.
The former Coalition Minister, who has endured poor publicity after a series of scandals, recorded a primary vote of 53 per cent in the 2013 campaign.
One Nation’s Brenden Ball is recording 14.3 per cent of the vote up 14.23 per cent from 2013 when the party had little presence in the electorate.
Mr Ball has been confident he would record a vote in double figures.
Labor’s Meaghan Scanlan is recording more than 28 per cent of the vote, giving the party a swing of almost four per cent.
7.02PM:
TRADE Minister Steve Ciobo is facing an early swing against him as the first votes are counted in his Gold Coast seat of Moncrieff.
Mr Ciobo has one of the safest seats in Australia and on a two-party preferred basis remains well ahead in the early count with 63 per cent of the vote.
But the swing against him is 4.28 per cent.
The Greens (5.42 per cent) and Labor (4.37 per cent) are trending with a better outcome than in 2013.
6.55PM:
THE early count in Richmond on the Tweed border shows the ALP’s Justine Elliot is in for the fight of her political life tonight.
With just 1.75 per cent of the vote counted before 7pm, Ms Elliot has just 25 per cent of the vote trailing the National’s Matthew Fraser on 30 per cent.
On a two-party preferred basis, Mr Fraser is ahead with 52 per cent of the vote.
The swing against Ms Elliot is just more than four per cent. She holds the seat by a margin of 1.6 per cent.
6.53PM:
THE first votes have been counted in Gold Coast seats since the polling booths closed at 6pm and show a slight swing to the Coalition Government.
In the southern Gold Coast seat of McPherson, with 2.78 per cent of the vote counted, LNP MP Karen Andrews is enjoying a swing of almost five per cent against Labor’s Sandy Gadd.
On a two-party preferred basis, if this trend continued throughout the night, Ms Andrews would have a commanding 68 per cent of the vote.
6.49PM:
FADDEN MP Stuart Robert has barred the Bulletin from attending his post-election party.
The MP, was seen enjoying drinks with supporters and LNP members, including former state LNP MP David Crisafulli, at the Labrador Tigers AFL Sports Club.
Mr Robert’s staff ejected the Bulletin from the event just after 6.30pm, less than half an hour after polls closed.
“We are going to have to ask you to leave. The other News Corp photographer is allowed to stay,” Mr Robert’s staffer Sam O’Connor said.
Other media were allowed to attend and film the event.
FULL REPORT: BULLETIN BANNED FROM LNP PARTIES
6.40PM:
TWO people were turned away from the Robina State High School booth after arriving just one minute past the cut off.
The man and woman were not allowed to enter the voting room and were told they were no longer able to vote.
Just minutes earlier those waiting in line outside had been called into the room to wait.
The woman said they had been told the wrong details of where to vote.
5.53PM:
While there was no shortage of ballot papers at Runaway Bay, there was a shortage at Coombabah but more ballot papers have arrived at the polling station and voting is continuing with about five minutes before polling stations close.
5.52PM:
MCPHERSON MP Karen Andrews said she is feeling confident following a day of voting which was plagued by long lines at booths across the Coast.
“The feedback has been positive on all the booths,” she said.
Ms Andrews said she was aware of long lines across the McPherson electorate.
“The Australian Electoral Commission have told me people were taking a lot of time completing the senate paper,” she said.
Ms Andrews said she was under the impression the polling stations were well staffed.
Ms Andrews will watch the votes come in with her volunteers in a small gathering.
Family First candidate Simon Green said voting was slow to start this morning.
“I think people were turned away by the cold,” he said.
Mr Green said he was confident he would achieve a larger margin compared with last election.
5.49pm
BOOTH volunteers have begun packing up their posters as the last of the Gold Coast voters arrive before the polls close at 6pm.
After a marathon day which began at 5am for some workers, they were eager to pack up and start watching the results of counting.
Only a few stragglers are turning up to vote with volunteers saying the crowds dropped after it became darker and colder late this afternoon.
5.48PM:
Voting continues at Runaway Bay as booth workers have already begun dismantling their displays.
With just 15 minutes left to vote there was just a handful of last-minute voters.
There was no shortage of ballot papers at the polling station.
5.15PM:
A last-minute rush to vote has created lengthy line-ups outside polling booths with less than an hour to go before counting begins.
At Merrimac State School there was a line of more than 100m, running out the door.
Voters told the Gold Coast Bulletin they hoped to be finished voting before the 6pm cut off.
There remained a large contingent of LNP booth workers at the site.
Meanwhile, there are reports of polling booths at Coombabah and Runaway Bay running out of ballot sheets shortly before 5pm.
The Gold Coast Bulletin has been told voters are being turned away from both
polling booths.
4.58PM:
LABOR’S Forde candidate is feeling “confident” of defeating sitting MP
Bert Van Manen with just an hour and a half left until polls close.
Mr Hardman has been travelling across the electorate throughout the day and voted at Loganholme this morning.
The seat, which takes northern suburbs of Upper Coomera, Pimpama and Ormeau, is considered marginal and at risk for the LNP MP, who has held it since 2010.
“Things have been pretty positive for Labor for a change and people are listening to our message,” he said.
“It has been quiet on the booths this afternoon but it seems there has been fewer booths because some people have been lining up for more than an hour to vote.
“As for tonight I am feeling quite confident but not cocky.
“It is going o be close I believe so we will wait and see what happens.”
4.55PM:
LINES at Robina State High School are slowing down but voters can still expect to wait to 30 minutes to cast their vote.
ALP volunteer Warren King said that early in the morning the wait to vote was between 45 minutes and an hour.
Some voters in line said they had tried other booths and at the school earlier in the day but the huge lines put them off.
Voting closes in about an hour and a last minute push is expected across the Gold Coast as people rush to cast their votes.
4.37PM:
GLENN Lazerus was known on the rugby league field as the “brick with eyes” but the eyes of Forde voters were on supporting the senator for another term, according to his volunteers.
The Brisbane-based senator, who rose to fame playing professional rugby league from the late 1980s until the late 1990s, has had a major presence at booths across the Gold Coast today.
The presence has been backed up with plenty of takers, according to volunteer Jamie Porter from Reedy Creek
“A lot of people know him from footy and did not know he was going for the senate again,” he said. “We have had a lot of takers today.”
4.33PM:
COULD this be the Gold Coast’s quietest polling booth?
At Mudgeeraba Creek State School, in the Hinterland seat of Wright, voting has slowed to a trickle, with just a handful of people entering the booth this afternoon.
With less than two hours to go until polls close, many AEC workers were sitting and waiting for counting to begin.
Just two poll booth volunteers, Gordon French and Kevin Powell, remain, where they hand out for LNP MPs Scott Buccholz and Karen Andrews.
There was no Labor presence in the safe rural seat, with a Family First volunteer covering the booth earlier in the day.
3.43PM:
VOTERS are risking a fine rather than wait in the massive lines which are snaking their way around Burleigh Heads State School.
The line to vote is queued at least 200m around the corner.
Those near the front have been waiting about 20 minutes to cast their vote.
ALP volunteer Anne Hogan said she would be making a complaint to the Australian Electoral Commission.
“I am worried about the elderly, especially those with canes, they are not being told they can skip the line,” she said.
Ms Hogan said the long line had been a problem all day.
Volunteers at the gate said it was not uncommon to see voters giving up and leaving the polling station before voting.
Parking at the school has been consistently full.
3.10PM:
VOTERS are being urged to go to the polling booths now or risk missing out on voting in the 2016 federal election.
Several of the larger Coast booths are receiving a midafternoon surge in voter traffic after quieter periods during the morning.
A Labor volunteer at the large northern Pacific Pines booth said the first voters had arrived half an hour before voting started at 8am today.
The early arrivals were going to work and had hoped to vote.
Volunteers believe many shift workers will soon start heading to the booths.
“The numbers have been up and down all day. It was quiet around lunch time and now there has been another surge,” a Labor volunteer said.
“There have been crowds on the footpath. If voters leave it to the last minute it will be disaster.”
Meanwhile Labor has not sent any volunteers to one of the busier polling booths in Moncrieff. LNP volunteers at the Miami State High School said they had been the only party at the booth until just after 2pm when a loan Greens Party volunteer arrived.
The booth hit its shortest line of the day at 2.30pm and voters were still queuing out the door.
The nearby sausage sizzle help by the school had sold almost 300 sausages by 3pm.
Voters are still constantly arriving at the booth.
2.55PM UPDATE: A LATE campaign swing to the Coalition could be at risk according to party sources who have told the Bulletin that the number of voters out today was down on previous years.
Polls taken in the final week of the campaign showed the Turnbull Coalition Government had gained a small edge over the Labor opposition.
However, the Bulletin has been told election-day voters across the Coast and during the final days of the pre-poll were smaller, with larger numbers during the early days of voting.
“I have never seen it this quiet at the booths here,” the LNP source said.
“It’s slowed down considerable as the afternoon has gone on.
The LNP hold all Gold Coast seats with safe margins.
2.45PM UPDATE: IT’S a small building but Labrador’s Senior Citizens Centre has one of the largest lines for a polling booth as voting continues.
Both young and old voters were voting, with younger voters saying they were frustrated with the Turnbull Government as well as sitting member Stuart Robert.
Mr Robert holds the seat with a near 14 point margin but voters, including Labrador’s Sebastian Schlegel say they are voting for change.
The retail manager voted for Labor candidate Meaghan Scanlon as well as Greens candidates in the Senate and said he was not impressed with the government, which has been in power since September 2013.
“The line up was pretty busy but there usually is one so there is nothing you can do about it,” he said.
“I voted for Labor and the Greens because I know Labor did some good work during the global financial crisis and since the Liberals have got in they have ruined things like the internet.
“They’re not forward thinking and are focused on the mines.”
2.30PM UPDATE: VOTING at Currumbin Primary has slowed to a trickle after the a massive turnout earlier today.
Volunteers at the school said between 10am and 1pm the line was out the door with voters waiting to get inside.
LNP volunteer Nick Jacobs said they were expecting an influx of voters in the evening after retail shops closed.
Voters are still arriving at the booth but the line has depleted.
Those inside were shaking their heads at the massive senate ballot papers.
Electors have a choice between 122 senators.
2.15PM UPDATE: GOLD Coast LNP identity Felicity Stevenson has been involved in another campaign controversy.
Ms Stevenson, a Stuart Robert staffer, has been handing out how to vote cards this morning at the Arundel booth in his Fadden electorate.
Northern Coast Labor organiser Rana Watson said ALP volunteers at 10 o’clock last night had put up signage around the entrance to the primary school only to find it covered up by LNP bunting this morning.
He said police were called after a dispute erupted between Ms Stevenson and Labor volunteer Kathryn Francis.
“There is a regular unwritten rule that you don’t cover anyone else’s signage,” Mr Watson told the Bulletin.
Ms Francis said she had arrived at 7am and began looking at the bunting when Ms Stevenson started to film her and her two-year-old son with her mobile telephone.
“Quite clearly and concisely I asked her to cease taking photos of my son. I said I don’t care if you take photos of us once he has left the vicinity,” Ms Francis said.
“I said I do not give you permission to film him. She then continued to film and took a direct film of his face at which point I put his hood up over his face.
“I stood in front of her to actually block the footage.”
Ms Francis said she again asked Ms Stevenson to stop filming her son and then arranged for her partner to call police.
“She was basically trying to film us as I was trying to rectify the bunting situation. I said we’re not going to remove yours, we are going to put ours in front much the same as you have done,” Ms Francis said.
Police arrived about 8.30 and confirmed Ms Stevenson had removed the images, she said.
Ms Stevenson declined to comment about the incident when approached by the Bulletin.
“I’m just here to work for Stu. It’s about jobs and growth,” she said, as she continued to hand out how to vote cards.
Ms Stevenson received a $30,000 handout from Mr Robert during the March council election when she ran in the Pacific Pines-Nerang division.
During the campaign she maintained she was an independent candidate and had not received funding from the LNP.
1.45PM UPDATE: Main Beach — Streams of people flooded into the historic Main Beach Pavilion this morning as voting continued in today’s federal election.
Beachgoers and Gold Coast marathon attendees alike were lining up to vote, with a big polling booth presence from supporters of Liberal MP Steve Ciobo.
Polling booth workers told the Bulletin they had a busy morning, with a constant stream of voters.
Arundel — LINES of voters are out the door at Arundel State School in the seat of Fadden.
The school, in the safe Liberal-held seat of Fadden, was one of the busiest polling booths, with hundreds of voters out running the gauntlet of booth workers to exercise their democratic right.
Labor’s Fadden candidate, Meaghan Scanlon told the Bulletin she had received plenty of support from voters this morning.
“You can’t tell how it is going to go at this point but I have had a fairly good response,” she said.
“It has been busy, particular at Pacific Pines and other venues.
“There is a lot of people who are frustrated (with Fadden MP Stuart Robert) and that is showing.”
The 23-year-old first-time candidate said she had been busy moving from booth to booth across the northern electorate.
12.40PM UPDATE: IF you are waiting in the long lines to vote on the Gold Coast, you can blame it on the monster Senate paper you will need to fill out once inside.
At the Broadbeach State School, the line-up to vote from 8am swung outside the polling booths with some voters waiting on the footpath outside.
Just before midday, the polling booth officials were outside managing the patient crowds.
An elderly woman waiting for her husband said the slow voting was due “to voting papers being jammed in the boxes”.
At the Helensvale State High School just after 12.30pm, officials were having similar problems.
“The crowd line has been to the end of the car park about 100 metres from the booth entrance,” a Labor volunteer said.
“There has been a 20 to 25 minute wait here. But there have been no problems. The crowd has been good. the problem is the voting papers are so big.
“People are struggling to fold them. Once they do that they are getting jammed in the boxes.”
11. 30AM: TRADE Minister and Gold Coast Federal MP Steve Ciobo is eager to continue as a Minister if the Coalition retains government after today’s Federal poll.
“I’m certainly rip roaring to go if the Coalition is re-elected,” Mr Ciobo said.
The Moncrieff MP was handing out how to vote cards with supporters outside the Broadbeach State School about 11am today.
Mr Ciobo won more than 55 per cent of the vote in the 2013 poll in what is one of the safest Coalition seats.
Mr Ciobo said the feeling on the ground was very positive and strong for the Coalition.
He said a mix of parties and candidates were at the booths but he was buoyed by the support for the LNP.
His booth presence with posters, balloons and supporters was far stronger than Labor on the tourist strip.
Asked if he was confident, he replied: “Look the fact is you never take any seat for granted. You’ve got to work the whole time to make sure you actually deliver.
“On the Gold Coast the Coalition has a very strong track record of delivering for our city. You never take it for granted, keep working to try and deliver the right outcomes.”
Mr Ciobo said it was clear that many voters after such a long campaign had arrived today knowing their voting intention.
“We will see what the people’s verdict is tonight,” he
1030AM: THERE’S a line out the door but booth workers at one of Moncrieff’s biggest polling stations say they’ve never seen it this quiet.
The sausages are being handed out at Ashmore State School, where more than 100 people were lined up outside to vote this morning.
But one poll booth worker told the Bulletin that traffic had slowed considerably after an early rush shortly after 8am this morning.
“It was pretty busy early on but it’s gone quiet. I think it will get busy again near the end of the day but right now it’s quiet,’ he said.
There were about a dozen booth workers at the school, with most representing the LNP’s Steven Ciobo, with a small showing from Labor, the Greens and Family First.
9.30AM: EMBATTLED Federal Gold Coast MP Stuart Robert appeared relaxed and low key as he greeted voters at a polling booth at the start of voting today.
Outside the Labrador State School, Mr Robert was surrounded by supporters as he delivered how-to-vote cards, quietly telling voters to stick with the Coalition’s sound economic plan.
“It’s great. It’s been a long campaign. Fifty-four days is an extraordinarily long time,” he said.
Asked if he expected a backlash from voters, he replied: “No, not at all. The Gold Coast simply wants stuff delivered. Every road has been implemented, light rail implementation is in, Exit 54 has been done, community groups have been taken care of. The Gold Coast has been delivered extraordinarily well.”
Mr Robert obtained 53 per cent of the vote in the 2013 campaign but has been under intense scrutiny this time around as he faces inquiries on several fronts.
He declined to comment on how he expected his personal vote would end up later tonight.
“We will find out in 12 hours time,” he said, giving a big grin.
But he remained confident about the outcome for the Turnbull Government.
“I think Malcolm has done a great job in terms of the campaign,” he said.
8.15AM: GOLD Coast voters will be confronted with a political wave of negativity from the two major parties as they start voting from 8am today.
Labor has targeted Malcolm Turnbull placing dozens of banners on fences on polling booths which feature a head shot of the Prime Minister and the words “seriously out of touch — Turnbull”.
The Coalition has responded by encouraging voters to back the Government’s key election platform of economic growth.
The LNP’s posters feature the slogan “Stick to the plan — avoid more bills, debt, taxes, chaos, Labor”.
At the Pacific Pines polling booth at the high school, one of the biggest booths in Fadden, One Nation candidate Brenden Ball said he was shocked by the tactics from both the ALP and LNP.
“I shouldn’t be surprised by the negativity of the campaign but I still am,” Mr Ball told the Bulletin.
He had been awake since the early hours and parked a trailer with balloons at the front of the booth, creating a positive birthday-style party atmosphere.
“I’ve been up since 3.30am. It’s hard to switch off,” Mr Ball said.
“We’ve been here since five o’clock. We are just making sure we’ve got our share of space. This is going to be the biggest or second biggest booth along with Arundel.
“We will have at least three people at those booths. We’ve ended up with a team of 45 today.”
In contrast to the March local government elections, the polling booths early today appeared low key in terms of volunteers and placards.
The casual start to voting is consistent with the quiet campaign on the Coast where Fadden MP Stuart Robert, Moncrieff MP Steve Ciobo and McPherson MP Karen Andrews enjoy large margins.
In the northern end of the city in the marginal seat of Forde, the battle is expected to be more intense with LNP volunteers arriving at booths at early at 4am.
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