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Gold Coasters are shocked the PM and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese have snubbed the city and its big-ticket projects in the first month of the election.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese have been savaged for snubbing the Gold Coast during the first month of the election campaign.
Mayor Tom Tate and business leaders have taken aim at both the Coalition and Labor for ignoring the city during their campaigns and failing to make any major funding commitments with less than two weeks until polling day.
There is a growing concern among city powerbrokers that the Coast’s status as an safe Coalition stronghold has led complacency from our Federal members.
Councillor Tate said he was “staggered” by the lack of infrastructure commitments from major parties or independents as pre-poll voting began on Monday.
“One in seven Australian voters reside in the southeast Queensland corner and of those, the Coast is home to around 350,000 voters alone.
“Democracy is a wonderful thing and Election Day may throw up a few surprises. I sense coast voters feel the federal leaders, and opposition, may be taking their votes for granted.
“Incredibly, we have not heard a word from any side of politics, or the independents, as to how they will assist us in completing the vital final stage of light rail to the airport and Coolangatta.”
Cr Tate urged voters to use their Senate Ballot Paper to ‘send a message’.
“I may give Clive’s United Australia Party a tick for the Senate,’’ he said.
Council, before the election was called, assembled a wish list of projects which needed funding.
An extension of the light rail all the way to Gold Coast Airport, a greenheart parklands at Robina and a major expansion of the Home of the Arts (HOTA) were chief amongst those items.
Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall said he was disappointed but not surprised” by the snub.
“It’s always been a safe blue-ribbon area but that is no excuse for not trying to drive change,” he said.
“Let’s hope we see something happen in the next 10 days but the big problem is that pre-poll has begun and people are going to the ballot box without any idea what the major parties are going to do for the city.
“Their reckoning will come one day.”
The opposing major party campaigns have been crisscrossing the nation since the election was called in early April, with Mr Morrison and Mr Albanese largely focusing on marginal electorates in Brisbane, Western Australia, Tasmania, Melbourne and Sydney.
In 2016, both then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and then-opposition leader Bill Shorten visited the city and made major commitments for the M1 upgrade.
At the 2019 poll, Mr Morrison and Mr Shorten both committed to funding light rail Stage 3 from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads.
The lack of announcements so far during the election comes just months after the city missed out on a billion-dollar plus government infrastructure splurge.
Mr Morrison, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Council of Mayors chairman Adrian Schrinner signed off on the 20-year, $1.8bn deal in March after more than three years of negotiations.
Despite being a 2032 Olympic Games co-host, the Gold Coast received no funding.
Cr Tate’s lack of a relationship with the city’s three federal MPs was blamed.
The city’s three federal LNP MPs, Stuart Robert, Angie Bell and Karen Andrews insisted in a joint statement that the Coalition was “the Gold Coast’s best friend”.
“The Gold Coast will always get a better deal under a Morrison Government. While we have a plan for a strong economy and a stronger future, Labor just see the GC as a piggy bank for their promises — they want to hit GC hip pockets through higher taxes,” the statement read.
“The Morrison Government will continue to be the Gold Coast’s best friend, we have invested in the infrastructure needed which is positively impacting our community, while also supporting our growing population, creating more jobs for more Australians and building a stronger future.”
Gold Coast-based Labor Senator Murray Watt said: “Anthony Albanese and Labor value the importance of the Gold Coast as Queensland’s second largest city”.
“That’s why Anthony visited the GC just prior to the election being called and toured Griffith University with our team of local candidates,” he said.
“Since then Labor has announced a number of Gold Coast election commitments, including a Medicare urgent care clinic, which will take pressure off hospital emergency departments and make it easier for locals to see a GP.
“Despite five Federal LNP members, Scott Morrison and his local MPs continue to take the Gold Coast for granted, so I guess that’s why even long-term LNP members like Mayor Tom Tate don’t want to vote for them.”
Revealed: ‘Crazy’ election issue motivating voters
The majority of Gold Coasters have already decided who they will vote for with 13 days left until Australians go to the polls.
That’s according to the Bulletin’s 2022 Federal Election survey, which also found more respondents planned to vote early or postal rather than on election day.
Of the 220 respondents, an overwhelming majority said cost of living and the economy were the issues most important to them this federal election.
Griffith University political analyst Paul Williams said cost of living was proving to the top issue for voters, even in affluent Gold Coast electorates.
“This election really is a referendum on Scott Morrison and the qualities we want in a prime minister and it’s also a referendum on cost of living,” Dr Williams said.
“Things like jobs, which are normally number one or number two in an election, are actually not number one or two this election because the unemployment level has come down.”
He said infrastructure and transport were also critical issues for Gold Coasters.
“Infrastructure is always important, particularly for growth areas like the Coast and particularly in the lead up to the Olympic Games,” the political analyst said.
“A lot of voters on the Gold Coast feel they’re the poor cousin when it comes to transport outside of Brisbane.
“So they will be looking for a commonwealth government that could work with the state government and city council to provide really world-class, capital city-standard public transport and more roads because the city is becoming very congested.”
Dr Williams noted previous voter surveys conducted found 80 per cent of Australians voted on policy and 20 per cent voted on leadership.
He said it was “plausible” that a majority of people would vote before polling day on May 21, given this trend was seen during the 2020 Queensland election.
He added a record number of votes would flow to minor parties and independents across Gold Coast seats.
The Bulletin compiled the free, anonymous election survey to hear from readers about what federal issues they think our politicians should be fighting for.
The survey included 16 questions covering everything from past and current voting habits, to election issues and the performance of sitting federal MPs.
The results of the survey will complement the Bulletin’s election coverage over the next two weeks.
Cost of living, rent ‘crazy’
Despite already being homeowners, Labrador couple Jens and Jenna Schroder say cost of living and “crazy” rent increases are front of mind for them in the lead up to the election.
As the administrator of a local Facebook community group, Mrs Schroder has seen first-hand the real impact of rising rent, fuel and grocery costs.
“People are struggling to put a roof over their heads and are sleeping in their cars,” she said.
The Labrador resident said she was particularly disappointed with Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s comments that those who could not afford soaring rents should instead buy a house.
Mrs Schroder said she had already made her mind up about which party she would vote for and would likely vote early. “I do love election day. The last election I worked on the polls which is always interesting.”
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