Queensland state election 2024: Inside Meaghan Scanlon and Bianca Stone’s final days battling for Gaven

Labor and the LNP will campaign down to the wire in the must-win Gold Coast seat of Gaven as the election enters its final days. WHAT TO EXPECT

Labor and the LNP will campaign down to the wire in the must-win Gold Coast seat of Gaven as the election enters its final days.

The high-profile race between incumbent MP Meaghan Scanlon and the LNP’s Bianca Stone is tipped to be the region’s only highly competitive seat, with sources on both sides calling the result a toss up.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, who has largely campaigned in marginal seats in Brisbane and north Queensland, is expected to making a flying visit to the seat, and his own electorate of Broadwater in the lead-up to Saturday’s poll.

Mr Crisafulli, has only briefly spent time on the Coast during the campaign but is tipped to lend his support to Ms Stone’s campaign as it tries to unseat the city’s sole Labor MP from office.

Queensland Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon. Picture: Tertius Pickard

LNP sources say Gaven was a tough race given Ms Scanlon’s 7 per cent margin.

“The Gold Coast overall will be fine for us but all the interest is in Gaven because it will be really close,” a party strategist said on Monday.

“Despite what the polls say, there will not be a uniform swing across the state and the rurals will mostly go our way, though the Katter Party are doing well in the far north and could take another seat or two, which would make it all the more difficult. The places we actually need to win are in Brisbane but we need to win 13 seats off Labor just to form government, so it’s going to be a fight to the end.”

All recent polls have show The LNP potentially securing a uniform swing of up to 8 per cent, which if replicated on Saturday, would see Labor lose up to 20 seats across the state.

Queensland opposition leader David Crisafulli and Gaven candidate Bianca Stone. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Ms Scanlon spent Monday at the pre-poll and said she was fighting for every vote.

“There are 11 seats on the Gold Coast and 10 of them are held by the LNP who take this community for granted,” she said.

“This is my home, I grew up in Nerang and I’m proud to be the only candidate who lives in this electorate. There is so much at risk in this election – the LNP has a record of cuts.

“They axed health jobs, bus services, social housing and stopped big infrastructure projects like the Second M1. Gold Coasters can’t risk the LNP.”

The Bulletin last week revealed Labor was devoting most of its local campaign resources to Gaven, with little presence in the ultra-safe conservative seat of Surfers Paradise.

Political scientist Paul Williams admitted it was “pointless” for Labor to fight for the seat and had “never” take the seat seriously given it had little to no chance of winning it.

Despite both southern Gold Coast seats of Currumbin and Burleigh being highly marginal, Labor has done little to campaign in those seats, which are both tipped to be retained by the LNP.

Ms Stone last week said she had received a positive response at pre-poll.

“People have really made up their minds – they’re going in there as decided voters and from what I can see they really want change,” she said at the time.

“We’ve worked really hard to get to this point, we’ve spoken to so many people in the community. I’ve been out there every single day door knocking, roadsiding, letter boxing, making phone calls … so far it’s been a wonderful experience.”

Originally published as Queensland state election 2024: Inside Meaghan Scanlon and Bianca Stone’s final days battling for Gaven