Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party popular after opposing Gold Coast casino-resort at The Spit
ONE Nation is riding a Gold Coast wave of popularity with the primary vote for Pauline Hanson’s party surging to record levels and delivering a wake up call to major parties. And it’s due to one factor.
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ONE Nation is riding a Gold Coast wave of popularity after Pauline Hanson’s party went public about stopping the Chinese-backed ASF consortium’s development on The Spit.
In a shock result, an exclusive poll reveals One Nation’s primary vote on the Glitter Strip is 18.5 per cent with the party slightly more popular with women and gaining support across all age groups.
The LNP’s strong conservative vote on the Coast has been smashed, with the party polling at 31.8 per cent in lead-up to the state election, just ahead of Labor on 27 per cent.
A similar poll conducted by the Gold Coast Bulletin before the 2015 state poll had the LNP primary vote at more than 48 per cent and Labor polling around 29 per cent.
The LNP’s primary vote on the Coast ultimately dropped by up to 10 per cent in some seats in 2015 due to a backlash against the Newman Government.
Depending on the flow of preferences from One Nation, marginal LNP seats like Southport, Gaven and Burleigh could go to Labor this time around.
The ReachTEL survey of more than 1000 Coast residents, undertaken last Friday and funded by Save Our Broadwater, focused on voting intentions and the impact of development at The Spit.
More than 70 per cent of residents opposed giving up public land at The Spit to “the Chinese-backed ASF consortium to build five high-rise buildings up to 50 storeys including a casino”.
The lowest support for the development is among retirees with only 15.6 per of the 65 and older age group backing the project.
Opposition to the planned integrated resort is consistent among supporters of all political parties ranging from 85 per cent for the Greens and more than 65 per cent for One Nation backers.
Queensland One Nation leader Steve Dickson announced on the Coast late last month the ASF project “would not occur” if the party won the balance of power in the Queensland Parliament.
The Palaszczuk Government is yet to start probity and a decision on the $3 billion integrated resort remains unlikely before a state poll later this year.
The latest polling found more than 60 per cent of residents oppose a second casino on the Gold Coast.
Griffith University political analyst Dr Paul Williams last month predicted One Nation’s opposition to a casino could push its primary vote as high as 20 per cent in some seats.
Residents were asked if they would be “more or less likely to vote for a political party that allows a Chinese consortium to build high rise on The Spit”.
Almost 65 per cent of residents indicated they would not back a political party pushing for the development.
Almost half of the residents surveyed supported the Gold Coast City Plan’s three-storey height limit for The Spit.
Those numbers were consistent for the LNP, Labor and One Nation supporters.
Save Our Broadwater vice-president Judy Spence said the surveying showed “opposition to this proposal is across all sides of politics with a majority of Labor voters opposing it”.
“There is enormous distrust with the government’s consultation process. Unless it reflects these results it will not be worth the money the taxpayer has already spent on it.”
Ms Spence, a Main Beach resident and former Labor minister, was strongly critical of the Palaszczuk Government’s handling of the integrated project it inherited from the Newman Government.
“The government did a similar ReachTEL poll last year but has refused to release the results despite the call for it from the Bulletin and our Right to Information requests. Now we know why,” she said.
“The only way forward now is what we have been calling for two years — a master planning process which properly engages all stakeholders.”
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