Thong wearing Greens candidate could tip the balance on the vital Gold Coast seat of Bonney
A THONG-CLAD candidate holds the balance in the marginal seat of Bonney. His policies are a little out of step wtih the major parties as well.
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A THONG-CLAD pharmacist who has been canvassing the Bonney electorate in shorts and a T-shirt could be the key for Labor to gain a foothold on the Gold Coast.
Greens candidate Amin Javanmard has been keeping a relatively low profile since he was endorsed in July, but he knows what he wants, or doesn’t want, for the city.
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Public transport is high on the wish list for Mr Javanmard, but commuters can forget about a second M1. Building on The Spit is out, too.
“Improving public transport is the quickest and probably most cost effective way to solve the problems of the M1,” Mr Javanmard said.
The Greens instead will be advocating for heavy rail south to Coolangatta, Stage 3A of the light rail and more bus services across the Gold Coast, particularly in the northern suburbs.
Mr Javanmard said he did not believe a second M1 was an option.
“Part of the route is in a koala conservation area so we would not support that,” he said.
On The Spit, the Greens would not be supportive of any development that was above three-storeys and wanted the northern area turned into a central park.
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“Good development creates just as many jobs as bad development,” Mr Javanmard said.
He said he was supportive of development on the Gold Coast but only if it was sustainable, adequately serviced by public transport and met all requirements in the City Plan.
Griffith University political expert Associate Professor Stephen Stockwell said Mr Javanmard’s preferences would make all the difference for Labor in the marginal seat.
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“The Labor Party is not without hope in Bonney and they can certainly expect the Green preferences to flow strongly to them,” he said.
“It could take a couple of days before we know who the winner is.”
Prof Stockwell said it would be a tough seat for both parties.
The Greens are yet to finalise preferences for Bonney but have said they would preference the ALP ahead of the LNP in all seats.
Voting trends suggest about 80 per cent of Greens voters give their preference to Labor compared to 10-15 per cent to the LNP.
Without One Nation contesting the seat, the Greens are the only minor party running in Bonney against LNP’s Sam O’Connor and ALP’s Rowan Holzberger.
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Two independents, Ron Nightingale and Robert Buegge, are also running.
Bonney is a new seat with a predicted 2.2 per cent margin between the two major parties.
The seat was created by splitting the old Broadwater electorate where the Greens picked up 7.5 per cent of the vote at the 2015 election.
Mr Javanmard, who grew up in the Labrador area, said he would not be working with the ALP during the campaign.
His comments come after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the Greens would be the only party Labor would work with.
“They are both basically the one party with different coloured ties,” he said.
“They are the reason why we are offering different forethought and planning.”
For Mr Javanmard, who owns the Broadwater Pharmacy in Biggera Waters with his sister, running the election is about getting a better start for the Gold Coast.
GREENS POLICIES
- Push for heavy rail to Coolangatta to relieve M1 congestion.
- Funding for Stage 3A of the light rail from Broadbeach to Burleigh.
- More public transport for the northern Gold Coast suburbs.
- No development above three-storeys on The Spit.
- No second M1 development.
- Sustainable development on the Gold Coast.
- More support services for those with addiction to prescription drugs.
- Harsher penalties for assault of health workers, such as pharmacists.
- Better law enforcement in the Labrador and Biggera Waters area.
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