Why Kate Jones has made the Gold Coast her second home in the lead up to the State poll
IN AN exclusive interview as the final week of campaigning begins for next Saturday’s poll, Labor’s golden girl Kate Jone explains why this is such an important election for a city about to shine.
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KATE Jones is the Minister for Education, Tourism, Major Events and the Commonwealth Games. She is also known as the Minister for the Gold Coast.
In an exclusive interview as the final week of campaigning begins for next Saturday’s poll, Labor’s golden girl explains why this is such an important election for a city about to shine.
STATE OF PLAY
Bulletin: In this Parliament we had 89 seats, Labor ruling with the independent Peter Wellington. The boundary changes mean there will be 93 seats. How many of those seats do you think Labor can win and how will it play out?
Kate Jones: Well I think what’s becoming increasingly clear it doesn’t matter what poll you look at, the LNP cannot form government without a partnership with One Nation. Every single poll now has said that for months. Our job now is to convince voters that a Labor majority government is the best answer for Queensland’s future on November 25.
KEY GOLD COAST ISSUES
B: If we look at some of the issues — transport and traffic congestion on the M1 is the big issue for the Coast.
KJ: Absolutely.
B: The LNP is offering to build the M2.
KJ: With what money (laughs). They make this ambit claim and they have no money to back it up.
B: The LNP appear cold on extending light rail. Is Labor going to help fund light rail stage three so it goes from Broadbeach down to Burleigh.
KJ: So as your readers know we have already made a commitment to partner with the City of Gold Coast for the feasibility study of Stage Three of light rail. I know people have concerns about what the final grid will look like. Certainly, that is what this study will look at. But you must think that there are a lot of conversations about legacy for the Gold Coast in the long term and what the Gold Coast will look like in 20 years. You’d have to think in the next chapter for the Gold Coast we will have light rail extended with Stage Three and you have to think ultimately down to the border and to the airport at Coolangatta.
B: So you think light rail stage three under an LNP Government is dead in its tracks, it won’t go further.
KJ: They’ve already demonstrated that. I mean I was part of the Bligh Government that built stage one. It was opposed by the LNP, they were in government for three years with every single Gold Coast seat being LNP seat and they didn’t put one dollar into the light rail or M1
B: So from Labor’s perspective they want to have ownership of light rail.
KJ: It’s something we believe in. We fundamentally believe that if you want to become a modern dynamic city then we know the best cities you travel to in the world have really good quality public transport.
TIMING YOUR RUN
B: The LNP in the first week of the campaign made several big announcements down here including their M2 pledge. Do you think they’ve shown their hand too early, that they have nothing else to give.
KJ: I think what’s unravelled for them with their M2 plan, it clearly wasn’t costed properly, there was clearly no money committed to it and we’ve seen in the revelations in the Senate in the last 24 to 48 hours that the Federal Government don’t even know this funding request has been committed by the LNP at a State level.
B: So you think the M2 promise is a dud.
KJ: I think the dud is that you don’t lift people’s expectations on a M2 plan and then not commit the money or have the plan to deliver it. I think that was a cheap and nasty ploy to try to steal votes in electorates that they know that are going to be tough for them to hold onto as opposed to a genuine investment to people of the Gold Coast which they deserve.
B: There is some confusion about this but Labor’s position, is it to upgrade sections of the M1 and then to look at longer planning of the M2.
KJ: Absolutely, our focus has been, and we’ve demonstrated this with the more than $270 million we’ve already committed in this election which builds on the $400 million we’ve invested in our first term. We know that the fastest way to alleviate pressure for Gold Coast residents now is to invest in the M1. I mean this is the bit that I always find unbelievable. Time and time again people vote for the LNP here when they don’t commit at a federal or state level real dollars for the M1.
LABOR’S FIRST EVER OFFICIAL LAUNCH HERE
B: Labor for the first time is having its official launch on the Gold Coast tomorrow.
KJ: I’m so excited.
B: What was the reason for coming down here.
KJ: Look we’ve really tried to demonstrate that we are absolutely committed to the Gold Coast. Certainly I’ve personally tried to take a leadership role in that regard. It’s an area I love. I have family here. I have property here now. It’s actually somewhere I love being. We’re having the launch here because we want Gold Coast residents to know we are taking the Gold Coast seriously.
THE GOOD AND BAD ABOUT THE GAMES
B: The Games have been an enormous positive for the Government down here. But then you’ve had the Grocon collapse, and before that we’ve had the Cullen Group — the impact on subbies, some have suicidal thoughts because of their financial problems, is there any other tougher action this government can take
KJ: Unfortunately the new laws that we’ve introduced that toughen up subcontractor payment are not retrospective. And we also know we saw a wind back in subcontractor protections when the LNP was in government. Certainly we are doing everything we can to put pressure on Grocon to deliver to subcontractors. Every single person expects that you get paid for the work that you do. That’s a fundamental belief that we have. The question that rings in my mind is what due diligence was done by the LNP when they changed Labor’s plan and created this contract with Grocon with a Melbourne based company.
SEVERAL BATTLEGROUNDS ACROSS THE STATE
B: It seems like there’s several elections taking place — that One Nation is doing okay in central Queensland and the north of the State, that the LNP is struggling in the inner city and then on the Gold Coast a little bit of confusion, possibly 50-50 between the parties in the close seats. Is that fair reading.
KJ: I think that is a fair reading and as we get closer to the election and see what One Nation stands for — they haven’t changed. What has changed though is John Howard, a Prime Minister that many Gold Coast residents respect made it clear he wouldn’t do deals with One Nation. Yet here we are and we have Tim Nicholls saying he is willing to. The key for Labor is to make people understand what the ramifications of that choice are.
COAST HOT SEATS
B: Gaven — you will probably need Green preferences. Has the party approached the Greens, has there been any discussions.
KJ: I’m not party to those discussions, it is done by Evan Moorhead the State Secretary. I would imagine the Greens are preferencing us in all seats on the Gold Coast given out track record on protecting the environment.
B: In Bonney — the polling is showing 50-50 between the major parties.
KJ: It’s exciting.
B: Again, do you know if Labor has reached out to the independents there at all.
KJ: I’m not aware. I did hear this morning that one of the independents has made a decision to preference (Labor candidate) Rowan Holzberger.
B: Is there any seat here you think you are a stronger chance of winning, does the party consider Bonney and Gaven as the only ones in play.
KJ: No, certainly Bonney and Gaven are the ones that we are most confident with. We are already seeing in the published polling they are neck and neck races. In Currumbin we are seeing a great candidate in Georgi Leader, a local girl who is so passionate about the southern Gold Coast. She’s working really hard. Quite frankly, my experience of (LNP MP) Jann Stuckey is there’s quite a lot of whinging and not so much work.
POLL’S BIGGEST GAMBLES
B: One of the biggest gambles of the campaign is Tim Nicholls and the LNP preferencing One Nation, and risking white collar professional supporters in Brisbane. Is another Labor has left some of it promises a little too late, and you’ve missed that pre-polling vote that has come through.
KJ: I think we had the main commitments out before pre-polling. What we’re standing for is a government committed to jobs, health and education. And those three key policies we have delivered. We are now in the final days of this campaign and Tim Nicholls is only announcing his education policy. I think it was a gamble by then to leave education policy until the dying days.
THE FUTURE
B: Has government and the community here lost out (in terms of balanced political representation) by not having a Labor voice over a period of time.
KJ: I’ve tried hard to be that voice for the Gold Coast. There is only one of me. I’d much prefer to have a team of Labor representatives here because they do have the opportunity to making the position heard of the local community to the Minister and the Premier. We certainly delivered for the Gold Coast when we had all those seats during the Beattie years. We got the Gold Coast Hospital built. The investment in light rail and heavy rail — it has all been done by a Labor Government. I’d be much happy to have more voices singing for the Gold Coast with me.
B: Would you at some stage consider running in a seat down here.
KJ: I’d definitely consider living here into the future. I just think it’s such a beautiful time for the Gold Coast, it’s coming into its own. The depths of the arts and culture community, the vibrant business community. There’s not many places in the world that offer what the Gold Coast has to offer. I don’t know if I could ever run for politics here but I certainly could live here.
B: The Premier, have we seen enough of her down here.
KJ: I think the commitment to be the first Labor premier to hold a campaign launch on the Gold Coast is a very powerful message about how important we think the Gold Coast is to Queensland’ overall future.
B: (Deputy Premier) Jackie Trad, you sit next to her in State Parliament, you are close friends. Will she survive in her South Brisbane seat.
KJ: Yes, she will.
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