Politicians need to finally learn that Gold Coast voters are nobody’s fools

Every election, politicians of all stripes make this assumption about Gold Coast voters. And every election they’re proven wrong, writes Keith Woods.

A CANDIDATE for the California senate, Dick Tuck, upon learning the election results, once famously remarked: “The people have spoken. The bastards.”

There was more than a touch of this sentiment following the weekend election results on the Gold Coast, though without any of Tuck’s dry humour.

The results were slow in coming from the Electoral Commission, but the recrimination was lightning quick.

Most startling was the video from mayoral candidate Mona Hecke, in which, when discussing her failure to win over 78 per cent of the electorate counted at that point, she expressed herself to be “gobsmacked”.

“I was obviously as surprised as the rest of you,” Ms Hecke said, addressing her supporters. “I am gobsmacked by some people’s thought processes and their voting preferences.”

The result, of course, was no real surprise.

The voters of the Gold Coast are a smart bunch. They saw through the snazzy marketing and spied hollowness and negativity at the heart of Ms Hecke’s campaign.

The biggest problem, of course, were that some of Ms Hecke’s views on health matters were never likely to sit well with a Gold Coast electorate.

The key moment in the campaign was when a video emerged, less than 24 hours after Ms Hecke denied holding anti-vaccination views, showing her objecting to a public health campaign advising Queenslanders to get the flu jab.

In the face of a pandemic, it was always going to be a case of better the devil you know.

Many of Ms Hecke’s supporters have, since count figures began to emerge, taken to social media to bemoan the foolishness of Gold Coast voters. More fool them. If they really want change, they need to find a better champion. Because Gold Coast voters are no mugs.

Laura Gerber casting her vote at Elanaora State High School. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

That was also proven in Currumbin, where, although their candidate got over the line, the LNP have been given a bloody nose.

That they claimed the seat is a credit to the campaign performance of Laura Gerber, who impressed voters despite the little time afforded her.

Labor coming so close to achieving what would have been an astonishing win was not a reflection on Ms Gerber, but on the behaviour of the party leadership.

A leadership which riled local members with how they conducted their candidate search.

A leadership which professed a concern for the mental health of long-serving member Jann Stuckey during the campaign – and then unleashed on her as soon as the polls closed.

A leadership that sought to make political hay from the decision to close the border, leading to some frankly disgraceful signs appearing alongside LNP corflutes outside polling booths on election day.

Signs outside Currumbin State School on polling day.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk closed the border knowing it could cost Labor votes in Currumbin, but did it anyway.

The same could be said of her decision to resist popular opinion and accept the advice of experts to keep schools open.

In doing these things she put the interests of the state ahead of the interests of her party.

That’s the sort of thing that impresses voters.

It’s a long way out yet, but if it goes ahead, this columnist’s hunch is this will be rewarded in the state election in October by voters who have shown themselves more than capable of shutting out the noise and making intelligent choices.

The clever bastards.