Five issues dominate the election for Gold Coasters, with answers impacting long past election day

FIVE key issues will dominate election promises and commentary for Gold Coasters in the next 24 days — but their impact on our city will last far beyond election day.

State election: Our top five issues

FIVE key issues will dominate election promises and commentary for Gold Coasters in the next 24 days — but their impact on our city will last far beyond election day.

The extension of the light rail system, clarity over the Wavebreak Island resort proposal, upgrade of the M1, commitment to anti-bikie laws and renewed dedication to the 2018 Commonwealth Games are critical to the future of the Gold Coast.

STATE ELECTION: LNP TRIO FACE BATTLE TO KEEP SEATS

The Gold Coast Bulletin has campaigned loudly on these issues and if there has ever been a time for sitting politicians and their counterparts to listen and act it is now.

More than 550,000 passengers a month have used the new Parkwood to Broadbeach light rail service since it began in July — more than 2.3 million trips had been taken by the end of November.

A second stage of the system, linking it to the heavy rail at Helensvale, has been planned but not funded by the Government despite overwhelming support from the community, business and — after encouragement from the Gold Coast Bulletin — local MPs.

The connection would transform the billion-dollar project from a tourist convenience to a viable and much-needed link between the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

Debate over the proposed cruise ship terminal, resort and casino development at Wavebreak Island has, in one form or another, been raging for the past decade.

Both sides of politics have used it to divide and distract the community, but voters still have no clue whether or not a re-elected LNP government would approve the current proposal.

Clarity from each party leader on this project would go a long way in the credibility stakes with voters who appreciate knowing the repercussions of their actions at the ballot box.

Few would deny the Pacific Motorway between Brisbane and the border is woefully inadequate for what is the second-largest commuter road in the country.

An upgrade of the confusing and congested exit 54 at Coomera would make the suburb safer and enable it to unlock billions of dollars of development potential and the jobs that would go with it.

It is hoped the Government will make an announcement on the exit in the near future.

Duplication of some sections of the M1 near Logan, and more lanes through the southern Gold Coast near Reedy Creek, are badly needed to service the ever-expanding resident and tourist populations.

Motorists will be forced to wait more than a decade for an alternative road as sections of the Pacific Motorway threaten to reach gridlock by the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The LNP has previously said a proposal to ease motorway traffic from Helensvale to Coomera will not be sorted until at least 2020.

If Campbell Newman’s first term as Premier is remembered for anything by Gold Coasters, it will be for his effective action to release the grip of criminal motorcycle gangs on our community.

Suggestions by any candidates or sitting members to weaken the laws that have effectively freed the city from the bikie scourge will be harshly viewed by voters.

The 2018 Games will catapult the Gold Coast to the centre of the world stage — and a recent attorney-general’s report shows the city is not yet on the right track to make the most of this monumental moment.

The next government — new or returned — must look at the Games with renewed vigour and a resolution to ensure both the Games themselves, and the legacy they leave the city, are delivered flawlessly.

Over the next five days, the Gold Coast Bulletin will take a detailed look at each of these issues, and find out where your candidates and members stand.