Live debate: Marginal seat of Forde on the line

The LNP incumbent and Labor hopeful for the marginal northern Gold Coast seat of Forde have faced off in a live-streamed debate. WATCH REPLAY

Forde candidates Bert van Manen and Des Hardman go head-to-head in the battle for the marginal northern Gold Coast seat in a debate hosted by Courier-Mail personality Peter Gleeson from noon.

Hospital issues a key focus for candidates

IN the centre of one of the most marginal seats in Queensland is one of the hospitals with the worst records for waiting times in the state.

It is no surprise, then, that Logan Hospital has taken centre stage in the battle for the hotly contested seat of Forde.

Sitting on a wafer thin 0.7 per cent margin, the electorate stretches from the suburbs around Logan City to parts of the Gold Coast.

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With a fast growing population, services are facing pressure and commuters are stuck in worsening traffic jams.

The seat, which has been described as a “must win” seat by Labor sources, has been receiving plenty of attention during the lead up to the May 18 election.

Both sides have pledged upgrades for the struggling Logan Hospital, which has seen patients waiting more than 24 hours in emergency or giving up and going home.

Forde: Labor candidate Des Hardman and local MP Bert Van Manen.

Labor has matched an LNP promise of $33.4 million for an urgent care service to take the pressure off the hospital’s emergency department.

ALP candidate Des Hardman works as a radiographer at the hospital, giving him a direct understanding of the pressures it faces.

“If something really serious happens, people want to know they have a world class hospital system that they can access when they most need it,” he said.

“Logan Hospital is smack bang in the middle of a very rapidly growing area. We need a federal government that will prioritise health services and do everything they absolutely can to alleviate that pressure.”

Both sides have targeted the seat with a series of infrastructure upgrades including commuter car parks and roadworks on the M1.

Local MP Bert Van Manen nominated infrastructure as the number one issue in the area.

He said he had a “demonstrated track record” in securing funding for upgrades.

“They want to see the M1 fixed,” he said of what constituents tell him.

“When we explain what we are doing there it goes down well.”

Mr Hardman has the advantage of running for the seat at the last election, when he sliced 3.8 per cent off the LNP’s margin, giving him a platform to build off.

He was also nominated as Labor’s candidate in 2013 before being forced to stand aside for Peter Beattie under a plan hatched by then leader Kevin Rudd.

The former premier failed in his bid, seeing a 2.8 per cent swing against Labor in a result that saw Mr Van Manen dubbed “Bert the Beattie beater” in LNP circles.

Mr Van Manen conceded he faces a tough battle to retain the seat but said it had always been marginal.

The MP, who is close to Scott Morrison, said the Prime Minister is popular in his electorate.

But he acknowledged the series of leadership changes still cause angst among some voters.

“At the end of the day we’ve got to communicate the message that despite what went on over the past six years internally, we have been a good government,” he said.

Labor’s Centrelink boost in fight for tight seat

BILL Shorten will supercharge Gladstone’s workforce by boosting Centrelink staff by 100 — providing local jobs and helping pensioners and families — as Labor ramps-up its attack for the knife-edge seat of Flynn.

Labor’s human services spokesman Ed Husic will unveil the plan in Gladstone today under a wider plan to increase the number of Medicare and Centrelink staff across the country, while injecting millions of dollars of wages into local communities each year.

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The full-time and permanent jobs for the Human Services Department come as the Coalition and Labor tussle for the seat of Flynn, which is held by the LNP’s Ken O’Dowd by just 1.1 per cent.

Labor’s Zac Beers is contesting the seat, which the LNP fears it could lose.

Labor’s human services spokesman Ed Husic will be in Gladstone on Wednesday. File picture

Apart from new jobs, the plan ensures locals, who often have the best knowledge of their communities, will be hired and trained to give advice to those on the pension, Newstart or disability support pension.

Mr Husic, who has been working on the plan for months, told The Courier-Mail Labor would fix Centrelink for communities.

“Medicare and Centrelink services help northern Queensland communities when they need it most,” Mr Husic said.

“From medical rebates for the sick, to processing aged care pensions, child care support, disability support pensions and carers’ allowance payments — Centrelink and Medicare cover the lot.

“But the harsh reality is Centrelink is in crisis under the Morrison Government.

“All the Coalition has seen with Centrelink is a target for job cuts, 2700 jobs gone or going in the last few years. It’s understaffed and under-resourced.

“A Shorten Labor Government is determined to invest in better jobs and better service, especially for north Queensland.

“We want these 100 additional permanent and full time jobs to be on the ground to improve access to Centrelink and help reduce waiting and processing times for residents in northern Queensland.”

Zac Beers.

Ken O'Dowd.

Currently, there are 21 Centrelink/Medicare staff in Gladstone, four in Biloela and six in Emerald.

Once trained, the staff in Gladstone could also be in “smart centre roles” that answer inquiries from people from across the country.

The final decision on how the roles will be managed will be determined in consultation with the Department and the community.

It is part of a wider Labor plan to fund 1200 new Centrelink and Medicare jobs throughout Australia.

The bulk of the new workforce will be in Queensland, including 200 in Herbert, 100 in Leichhardt, 50 in Longman and 30 in Petrie.

Across the five electorates there are more than 80,000 recipients of the pension; nearly 65,000 recipients who receive family tax benefit, nearly 29,000 recipients on the disability support pension, almost 23,000 who receive carer allowance and more than 36,000 who receive Newstart.

Labor’s plan is in stark contrast with the Coalition, which has been trialling using private call centre workers to determine whether they are quicker and more efficient.

The Coalition has stated there has been an 11 minute reduction in wait times on Centrelink’s employment services line and a four-minute improvement on the families line.

Originally published as Live debate: Marginal seat of Forde on the line