Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says if One Nation holds balance of power he’ll roll with it
GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate is saying he can work with Pauline Hanson as Labor’s Kate Jones calls on LNP to fess up to election deals with her One Nation.
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GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate says he will work with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation if the controversial minor party holds the balance of power.
“As far as democracy is concerned, should One Nation decide the balance of power at state government, I look forward to working closer with Pauline,” Cr Tate said.
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“She is a logical person and a passionate person.”
This year, Cr Tate warned Federal MPs about preference deals with One Nation, a party whose leader has for decades whipped up fear of Australia being “swamped by Asians”.
Mr Tate said back in February he worried it could affect tourism.
Cr Tate said yesterday he no longer held fears for the tourism industry if One Nation did hold a balance of power.
He said the Gold Coast’s reputation would be enough to overcome any perception given from the minor party.
Cr Tate comments come as LNP Gold Coast members fail to squash rumours of an election preference deal with One Nation and Labor’s Kate Jones calls on them to stop being “dishonest”.
The LNP’s executive committee spent Friday behind closed doors talking about a preference deal with Pauline Hanson’s conservative party, the Bulletin understands.
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Ms Jones called on LNP to stop being “dishonest” about what she believes is behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing with One Nation in crucial Gold Coast seats Bonney and Gaven.
Ms Jones, dubbed Minister for the Gold Coast, said One Nation was not standing in Gaven and likely not to have a candidate in Bonney, two seats polling shows Labor has the best chance of winning.
“This is absolutely a deal. The fact it seems the two seats One Nation are not running a candidate on the Gold Coast are two seats Labor has the best chance of winning — Bonney and Gaven — smells like a deal to me,” Ms Jones said.
“It’s time LNP members on the Gold Coast came out of the closet and were honest with people of the Gold Coast that they are dealing with One Nation.”
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Sources told the Gold Coast Bulletin the party deal would see no preferences from the LNP flow to One Nation on the Gold Coast or in south East Queensland.
But in regional Queensland the story was different with the LNP understood to be set to preference One Nation first.
“It’s a matter for the party and no announcement will be made until candidate nominations have closed,” an LNP spokesman said.
“We will decide seat by seat basis with the candidates. There will be an announcement when a decision is made.”
Candidate nominations close at midday today.
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Ms Jones: “One Nation won’t run candidates in seats where Labor has the best chance — all evidence to date shows LNP must be doing deals with One Nation and it’s time LNP members were honest with people of the Gold Coast and Gold Coast voters about what wheeling and dealing has been done behind the scenes.”
Surfers Paradise MP John-Paul Langbroek said Ms Jones “didn’t know what she was talking about”.
“Labor are so desperate,” he said.
“Why hasn’t Kate Jones been brave enough to nominate for Bonney?
“Labor think so little of the GC, they still haven’t announced candidates in about four seats.”
Southport MP Rob Molhoek said he was not aware of the outcome of the executive meeting.
He said as far as he was aware any decision about preferences would be made on a seat-by-seat basis.
“I think Kate Jones needs to stop spreading rumours about what is happening,” he said.
Mr Molhoek said Labor was yet to appoint a candidate in at least three seats on the Gold Coast.
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