Your state election guide to Coomera: Rapid growth, M1 woes and rampant crime
FROM M1 woes to rampant crime, these are the biggest issues in the Gold Coast’s northernmost seat of Coomera.
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THE Gold Coast’s northernmost seat of Coomera is home to one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia.
As the population at Pimpama continues to soar, residents are crying out for additional police officers, better infrastructure and solutions to their M1 traffic woes.
MP Michael Crandon, who has held the State seat since it was established in 2009, said M1 exits were “without a doubt” the biggest issue in the electorate.
“We (LNP) will spend $100 million on exits 41, 45, 49 and 57,” he said. “Whenever I speak to locals, the M1 is the main issue that comes up.”
Pharmacist Nam Huy, who owns Chempro Coomera Village and commutes each day from Brisbane, said the M1 was a “daily problem”.
“I actually come to work through (Logan and Ipswich) and pay a toll. That way I avoid the M1 for the most part.”
Mr Crandon said the LNP was also pushing for an additional 50 police officers in the electorate.
“We need it in the northern area ... to catch up with the population growth (and) we need a (police) station or a warehouse out at Pimpama.”
In the latest electorate redistribution, Coomera shrunk and moved slightly west, now running from Alberton to Wongawallan.
It also took in less-developed suburbs west of the M1 and lost Hope Island to Broadwater.
The change reduced the LNP’s margin from 8.5 per cent to around 5.8 per cent.
Business owners at Coomera also highlighted crime as a major issue.
“I’ve seen drug deals, people fighting,” hairdresser Tanika Lea, of Tanika’s House of Hair, said. “I work late on Thursday nights (and) there are lots of kids that hang around.”
John Lang, who has run Lang Realty since 1988, said the electorate needed more uniformed police patrolling Coomera and Pimpama in particular.
“The police here do a good job, but they’re so short-staffed.”
Political analyst Professor Stephen Stockwell said the Coomera seat was home to a lot of younger people.
“Quite often Labor target a younger age group but I don’t think that would make too much of a difference here.
“Michael Crandon has a decent margin (but) some people may shift to One Nation. It is going to be an interesting indicator for the Coast generally.”
Coomera recorded a 21.3 per cent swing against Labor at the 2012 election, the second largest in the state while the swing back in 2015 was a smaller 14.7 per cent.
Business owner Ian O’Brien says the northern end of the Gold Coast should be capitalising on adventure tourism.
Mr O’Brien, who has owned Cycle Ox at Coomera for 10 years, said his customers regularly travelled to New Zealand or Tasmania for bike trails.
“Every week I’ll have someone come in and tell me they’ve gone interstate to ride,” he said.
“That could happen here ... people could travel (to the Gold Coast) to bike ride but we don’t have the infrastructure in place.
“The Gold Coast needs to become more bike friendly because it’s huge for tourism.
“They should stop wasting our money on trying to get a cruise ship terminal.”
Mr O’Brien said the M1 was a major issue for people living and working within the Coomera electorate.
“I’m lucky I always travel out of peak times but you definitely hear (customers) talking about how slow it is,” he said.
“I’m not sure what the solution is (but) it needs to be fixed.”
COOMERA
Held by: Michael Crandon (LNP) since 2009
Margin: 5.8 per cent
Previously: Established in 2009
Candidates: Michael Crandon (LNP), Tayla Kerwin (Greens), Christopher Johnston (ALP), Ronald Pigdon (One Nation)
Suburbs: Alberton, Woongoolba, Steiglitz, Stapylton, Gilberton, Yatala, Ormeau, Norwell, Luscombe, Ormeau Hills, Pimpama, Kingsholme, Cedar Creek, Willow Vale, Wongawallan, Coomera, Jacobs Well
Electorate population: 35,706
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