Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew claims ‘too late’ to stop Palm Beach light rail, takes aim at Burleigh MP Michael Hart
Light rail continues to divide opinion like few other topics on the Gold Coast, sparking a fresh war of words. READ THE FULL REPORT
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WAYNE “Rabbit” Bartholomew claims it’s “too late” to stop light rail heading to Palm Beach and has taken aim at Burleigh MP Michael Hart.
The Gold Coast’s celebrity Labor candidate is running against Mr Hart in Burleigh, putting the electorate into play as a seat to watch come the October 31 election day.
Mr Hart’s chances may have been boosted by winning the Palm Beach protest vote, supporting research which would sent the tram route west then south along the M1 heavy rail corridor.
But on the eve of his official campaign launch early in October, Mr Bartholomew claimed Mr Hart let the light rail project “leave the station”.
In an exclusive interview with the Bulletin on the eve of his Saturday night campaign launch, Mr Bartholomew said: “My position on the light rail is based on fact.
“It is too late to stop light rail from Broadbeach to Burleigh. This is a fact.
“The train has left the station on the sitting member’s watch, with his full support, in fact, for the past eight years or more.
“And yes, it has been fast-tracked – after his Federal LNP colleagues agreed to fund their share.
“It is inevitable the light and heavy rail will link our city to its airport but here’s another fact. It doesn’t matter what I, or any other lone voter, think about Stage 4.
“Our community’s voice must be heard and decisions about Stage 4 must be based in fact.”
Mr Bartholomew said he and Currumbin Labor candidate Kaylee Campradt had been fighting hard to ensure a rollout of an exhaustive, improved consultation process before the business case on stage 4 of light rail to the airport.
“And we’ll continue that fight whether we are elected or not. Our electorate’s sacred Indigenous and natural assets, fauna and flora, parks, beaches and waterways must not be diminished,” he said.
The former world champion surfer is officially launching his campaign to a crowd of supporters and fellow former surf greats on Saturday night.
LNP frontbencher Michael Hart, who has held the seat since 2012, sits on a margin of 4.85 per cent but is still favoured by Sportsbet at $1.40 to win.
Mr Bartholomew’s candidacy has not been without its share of controversy.
FULL LIST: GOLD COAST ELECTION CANDIDATES
Former Burleigh MP and State Labor stalwart Christine Smith sensationally quit the party in protest of an alleged “captain’s call” to install him as a celebrity candidate.
The 30-year-party veteran sent a shock letter of resignation to ALP headquarters, taking aim at party bosses for ignoring long-serving branch members.
“I am disgusted at the way a candidate was thrust upon the Burleigh branch without even a personal explanation or discussion,” she wrote in the letter, obtained by the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“A candidate who was admitted as a member of the ALP on Monday 10 August and endorsed as the candidate for Burleigh on the same night.”
Labor has already devoted significant resources to the Burleigh campaign in an effort to wrestle it back from LNP MP Hart.
Mr Hart has held on through recent elections while his opposition put little effort into reclaiming the seat, but both parties are expected to concentrate their firepower on the electorate this time around.
In response to Mr Batholomew’s comments, Michael Hart told the Bulletin that “Labor didn’t listen when they forced this candidate on their local members and now he’s not listening to local voters. I’m shocked that he is telling voters it ‘doesn’t matter’ what they think about stage 4. That’s not how democracy works. It’s pure arrogance and contempt for the people of my community. I want there to be genuine consultation to decide how we progress stage 4.
Labor won’t listen to locals, but an LNP Government will.”
The Queensland election will be held on October 31. Prepoll voting will open October 19.
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