Queensland election: Gloves off in this Gold Coast seat after quiet start to poll
BURLEIGH’S Labor candidate says she is often mistaken for the local MP because the LNP’s Michael Hart never spends much time in the Gold Coast electorate.
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BURLEIGH Labor candidate Gail Hislop says she is being mistaken for the standing MP because the LNP’s Michael Hart never spends much time in the Gold Coast electorate.
In a blistering personal attack on her opponent, Ms Hislop contacted the Bulletin yesterday outlining Mr Hart’s failures.
ONE NATION ABANDONS KEY GOLD COAST SEATS
After 10 days of Coast candidates dropping policy statements and politely debating with opponents, the two Burleigh rivals who fought it out in the 2015 campaign took the gloves off.
Despite a 5.5 per cent margin favouring Mr Hart, Ms Hislop believes she will either win or get within a couple of hundred votes of removing the Burleigh MP.
“If I showed a photograph of him, no one would know him,” the industrial advocate and environmentalist told the Bulletin.
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“He’s on cruise control, he’s taking the electorate for granted. I’ve had people asking me if I’m the local member. When he is in the electorate most of the time he is unavailable.”
Mr Hart is the Opposition resource spokesman requiring him to visit central and northern Queensland on policy issues. He laughed off the claims.
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“I guess I would say I live here. (Ms) Hislop has to drive one and half hours to get to Burleigh from her home in Runaway Bay,” Mr Hart said.
“She said last time she would be moving to Burleigh but still hasn’t three years later. I take nothing for granted and will be campaigning fiercely. The Greens candidate lives in Currumbin too.”
Ms Hislop ridiculed a campaign promise by Mr Hart to spend $40,000 to “light up” Burleigh Hill.
The security lighting along the walking path would improve community safety along the five walking tracks, the MP says on his website.
But Ms Hislop believes residents are opposed to strangers using the track late at night.
“He wants it lit up like a Christmas tree. It might attract crime. Do you want people running up there all through the night?” she said.
“There’s no thought to this. What will it do to the wildlife up there.”
Ms Hislop said residents were upset about how long it took to fix the walking paths which became dangerous due to falling rocks.
“Michael’s solution was to close the path, and it remained closed for almost 100 days. It wasn’t until after a period of campaigning by myself and others that the Labor Government invested in repairing and reopening the path,” she said.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ELECTION 2017
Mr Hart suggests Ms Hislop’s preselection is a sign of desperation by Labor after another candidate put their hand up for endorsement.
“Labor got desperate because she already had corflutes with Burleigh on them,” he said.
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