One Nation and Glenn Lazarus team trade insults at Gold Coast pre-polling booth

BOOTH brawls have erupted on the eve of today’s Federal poll with One Nation and unionists supporting Senator Glenn Lazarus trading insults in front of shocked elderly voters.

Felicity Stevenson hands out how to vote cards to voters outside the polling station in Oxenford, Gold Coast.

AN “independent” council candidate showed her true colours yesterday by handing out how-to-vote cards for Liberal MP Stuart Robert.

Felicity Stevenson ran as an independent in the Gold Coast council elections but took $30,000 in backing from a Liberal fund controlled by Mr Robert, her boss.

Ms Stevenson tried to hide her face when a ­photographer arrived at an Oxenford polling booth.

Battles erupted at some booths with One Nation and unionists supporting Senator Glenn Lazarus trading barbs in front of elderly voters.

Tensions surfaced on the footpath outside the ­Oxenford pre-polling booth in a busy shopping strip off the Old Pacific Highway, after a One Nation volunteer was accused of being a racist. The 68-year-old disability pensioner, who asked not to be named, said he had since moved to another booth after making what he ­believed an innocent ­comment.

As a Muslim mother pushed a stroller, the pensioner remarked she must have been sweating in her traditional clothing.

“One guy threatened me,” the pensioner said.

“Then this other guy called me ‘a piece of (expletive)’. I was called a racist by him. He wanted to fight me.”

One Nation Fadden candidate Brenden Ball, who was at the booth yesterday, told the Bulletin the initial flare-up happened a week ago, causing tensions to rise throughout the past week.

“It’s been very rude and aggressive,” he said.

A Lazarus Senate team member yesterday blamed the LNP for stirring up tensions by filming incidents.

LNP volunteers yesterday said pre-polling staff had warned “that if there is one more voter complaint you will all have to leave”.