Fadden by-election: Inside the bitter fight to replace Stuart Robert in Fadden
A last minute nominee has confirmed their decision to enter the battle for LNP Fadden candidate with only hours to spare before nominations close.
Gold Coast
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Fadden LNP branch chair Fran Ward is poised to be a last-minute entrant into the battle to be the party’s candidate for the federal seat.
Ms Ward will join council planning chair Cameron Caldwell, former Queenslander of the Year Dr Dinesh Palipana and former Fadden Branch Treasurer Owen Carterer, who have already put their names forward.
A source said that Ms Ward’s nomination to run had been ready for two weeks, but that the member had been waiting for the right moment to lodge it.
“It can be confirmed that there will be a nomination in before 5pm today and that it is completely ready. It has been for two weeks,” they said.
A number of LNP members received an email endorsing Ms Ward’s decision to run for Fadden.
“Ms Ward has significant LNP, business, community, and volunteer experience along with 20 years of campaign experience at Federal and State level against the Labor machine,” the email stated.
The Fadden by-election is expected to take place in July after incumbent Stuart Robert officially quit parliament on Thursday.
Despite being held on a big margin, the poll is expected to be a crucial litmus test of Peter Dutton’s Liberal Party leadership following the loss of Aston in Victoria, with a high focus on selecting a candidate that “won’t cause grief” to the party.
“There aren’t very many Liberal seats that are around or above the 10 per cent margin,” a source said.
“So if the Liberal party win the seat but with a four or five, even six, per cent loss – that will be considered a kick in the you know what to Dutton this campaign.
“It’ll be seen that he can’t even hold the ground in a safe seat in his own state. So Peter Dutton desperately needs a good result in Fadden.”
Ms Ward’s nomination will see her as the only female LNP member contesting for the candidacy this election.
An internal review of the Coalition’s 2022 federal election loss found that the party needed 50 per cent of candidates and new MPs to be women.
Party sources said that there is still a prevailing perception that the LNP is run by “pale, stale, males”.
Australian National University analysis of the 2022 election votes found that women were more likely to vote for Labor of the Greens with men more likely to vote for the Coalition. However since 2019, the Coalition has lost support from both men and women.
REVEALED: HOW BY-ELECTION WILL DELIVER CASH FOR COAST PROJECTS
The battle for Fadden looms as an opportunity for the city to secure multimillion-dollar funding commitments for key infrastructure projects as the Gold Coast’s biggest political brawl in decades continues to escalate.
Labor is yet to pick a candidate for the by-election to decide the safe Liberal seat.
However, following the Coalition’s loss of the Aston by-election in Victoria and the Albanese Government flying high in the polls, LNP figures fear the seat could be competitive for the first time.
As the LNP prepares to select its candidate, there are hopes of pushing both sides of the political divide to commit to projects like the Coomera Connector extension.
Mayor Tom Tate the by-election offered an opportunity to put the city and its projects on a national stage.
“It’s good for the city that both sides have the Gold Coast on their radar,” he said.
“Because when we are on their radar, I zoom in for our budget and make sure we get our fair share of federal funding.”
Griffith University political scientist Dr Paul Williams backed the mayor, saying high-profile by-elections were the right time to secure funding for projects.
“The mayor is right, you shouldn’t wait until the by-election has been held, now is the time to put pressure on before it is held because this is when you can get some extra concessions,” he said.
“Parties can take safe seats for granted, so the best electoral races are those in which the seat is more marginal.”
The by-election, which is expected to be triggered this week by the resignation of long-serving MP Stuart Robert, is likely to be held in late June or early July.
Labor is yet to select a candidate while One Nation is holding its own preselection.
Nominations for the LNP will close on May 19.
Long-term members are coalescing support behind long-serving Gold Coast council planning chief Cameron Caldwell while Young LNP party members linked to state MP Sam O’Connor are understood to be backing quadriplegic doctor and former Queenslander of the Year Dinesh Palipana.
They are currently the only two candidates to have lodged nomination forms, while Fadden branch chair Fran Ward is still considering her options.
One LNP source said: “It’s the first time we’ll have a serious fight in Fadden and, while it’s really unlikely we’d lose the seat given the size of our margin, Labor are going to put resources into this one,” they said.
“Normally in this situation they’d pick a nobody to run in a safe seat but, given the high profile, this is going to be a chance for them to run someone who they would be testing out for a competitive seat at the next state election.”
The source pointed to the success of Meaghan Scanlon who ran against Stuart Robert in 2016 after a series of public scandals, secured a swing against the incumbent and went on to be elected to state parliament the following year, becoming a Minister.
Federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton said on Monday the LNP was “very fortunate” to have two “excellent candidates” in Mr Caldwell and Dr Palipana
Mr Dutton steered clear of the preselection strongarming taking place on the Gold Coast but said the two candidates were good quality options.
“I would think that we’re very fortunate to have candidates of that quality and no doubt the prospect of others who might stick their hand up by the time nominations close at the end of the week,” he said.
‘S***SHOW’: INSIDE THE BITTER FIGHT TO REPLACE STUART ROBERT IN FADDEN
THE LNP is split over two high-profile candidates to replace Stuart Robert in Fadden, with infighting between rival factions for control of the safe seat.
The party, fresh from losing the Aston by-election, is desperate to retain the northern Gold Coast seat
Long-term members are coalescing support behind long-serving Gold Coast council planning chief Cameron Caldwell while Young LNP party members linked to state MP Sam O’Connor are understood to be backing quadriplegic doctor and former Queenslander of the Year Dinesh Palipana.
They are currently the only two candidates to have lodged nomination forms, while Fadden branch chair Fran Ward is still considering her options.
She is backed by Mr Robert.
One party source described it as a “s---show”.
“There’s a lot of bull---- flying around right now but Fran’s supporters appear to be swinging in behind Caldwell,” the source said.
“The view of many in the party is that Dinesh shouldn’t be running at this preselection because he would be a potent candidate for the LNP and the state election upcoming at given the states at this by-election is so high, the party needs to candidate who has the backing of the community and that must be Cameron, a party loyalist who has represented people the length and depth of the electorate.
“Anything else right now would be an electoral experience when what we need right now is an electoral result.”
Neither Dr Palipana nor Mr Caldwell were available for comment on Sunday, with party candidates barred from speaking to the media during the preselection process.
Paperwork seen by News Corp shows Dr Palipana, who lives in Hope Island, last week shifted his party membership from the LNP’s Moncrieff branch to Fadden in order to contest the preselection.
Mr Caldwell is understood to have been a member of the branch for more than 12 years.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, speaking in Brisbane on Monday, said the party was “very fortunate” to have two “excellent candidates” already put their hand up.
However, Mr Dutton steered clear of the preselection strongarming taking place on the Gold Coast.
Mr Dutton said the two candidates were good quality options.
“I would think that we’re very fortunate to have candidates of that quality and no doubt the prospect of others who might stick their hand up by the time nominations close at the end of the week,” he said.
Mr Robert, who was a Minister in the Turnbull and Morrison governments, made the bombshell announcement last week that he would resign from federal parliament, forcing a by-election for the safe conservative northern Gold Coast seat.
His Canberra office has already been packed up.
Mr Robert, who did not fly to Canberra for last week’s budget session, is expected to resign via a letter to Speaker Milton Dick as early as this week.
Nominations for the seat will close on May 19, with around 300 local party members tipped to vote in the preselection.
Another LNP member said the contest was expected to be close.
“Dinesh has a big task ahead of him to get preselection but he’s prepared to do the work and would be a great candidate who already has a national profile,” the party member said.
“What it will come down to is getting the best person for the team.”
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Originally published as Fadden by-election: Inside the bitter fight to replace Stuart Robert in Fadden
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