Gaven ground zero: Inside story on Labor, the LNP, Greens and One Nation supporters
Meaghan Scanlon remains the Gold Coast’s only Labor MP. She has survived by just more than 700 votes, against the blue wave. READ INSIDE STORY ON HOW SHE WON.
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Meaghan Scanlon remains the Gold Coast’s only Labor MP. She has survived by just more than 700 votes, against the blue wave. What really happened on the ground, at the booths?
Smart LNP strategists now admit Ms Scanlon, after two terms in office, has a “local brand”. She always led the primary vote but not by 50 per cent, so preferences kick into play.
Labor insiders know their government’s handling of Covid gave a bump in her vote in 2020. Her 7.8 per cent margin was always going to be reduced.
The LNP sent in their MPs. Sam O’Connor, John-Paul Langbroek, Ros Bates, Michael Hart and Ray Stevens all stood at prepoll in the Nerang industrial estate beside their candidate, former Sunrise reporter Bianca Stone.
What about the other colours on the ground - the orange of One Nation and the Greens?
For Ms Scanlon, the concern was not enough green and the LNP getting too many orange.
One Nation volunteers were at the front of the entry gate at Nerang, approaching every voter.
The Greens candidate Sally Spain only spent a short time there. The veteran environmentalist stood every day in prepoll at Pacific Pines, a much quieter booth.
She would ask voters to vote Green and “preference Meaghan Scanlon and Labor”.
For Labor strategists, the unknown was the outcome of One Nation’s change at this poll in preferencing. Previously the party produced two how-to-vote cards for their supporters.
This time the party was preferencing only the LNP. So when the polls closed and the count began, Labor’s scrutineers watched the pile of votes for One Nation and their preferencing.
“If Bianca Stone gets over the line, it will be on One Nation preferences,” a Labor insider told your columnist.
What the primary count showed was One Nation on just more than eight per cent, The Greens were on five per cent and Legalise Cannabis just above four per cent.
On Saturday polling day, at the smaller booths in Nerang, Labor volunteers said there were no green volunteers. Legalise Cannabis was absent. One Nation was everywhere and combative.
As the count began, Labor scrutineers did a tally of preferences. The LNP was getting more than a half of the One Nation votes. Labor had most of The Greens.
They could also count on more of Legalise Cannabis. But would those small chunks of votes shore up Labor against the One Nation LNP preferences?
An experienced LNP campaigner, on the wash-up says: “One Nation preferences go everywhere. They are the ultimate protest vote. The Greens were nowhere to be seen on the Gold Coast. Their focus was in Brisbane.”
Except for Ms Spain on polling day, again alone, in the hot sun at the biggest booth at Pacific Pines State School until finally there was some coverage of clouds, closing in on 6pm.
Ms Spain said she helped Labor because of its environmental record. In 2028, if Coast environmentalists are serious about protecting the green and not just the gold, they need to help her. They must know that one tree does not make a forest.
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Originally published as Gaven ground zero: Inside story on Labor, the LNP, Greens and One Nation supporters
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