Where war will be won
ON the Gold Coast the fiercest political battles in the State poll will be in three seats — Bonney and Gaven in the north and Currumbin on the southern border.
For Labor, the odds of winning are best in the new seat of Bonney which includes the battlers’ THE Gold Coast’s fastest growing electorate has undergone the biggest boundary changes. LNP MP Michael Crandon currently looks after the Coast’s northern end on the eastern side of the Pacific Motorway. The new boundaries split the electorate 50-50 across east and west of the highway and capture the growth areas of Pimpama and Upper Coomera. The new Coomera seat runs from Alberton in the north to Wongawallen in the south, and loses the waterfront wealth of Hope Island, which will hurt the LNP. Mr Crandon’s margin has gone from 8.5 per cent to 5.8 per cent. THE new Coast seat of Bonney is regarded as marginally favouring the LNP by a 2.2 per cent margin.
But the electorate includes the battler’s Broadwater playground of Labrador and family friendly suburbs of Arundel and Parkwood.
Labor has pre-selected Rowan Holzberger who with limited party resources almost beat Southport’s Rob Molhoek in the 2015 campaign.
The LNP has young gun Sam O’Connor who left his media gig with Fadden MP Stuart Robert. He is pouring beers at a local club in between doorknocking. This is the Coast’s biggest and potentially most explosive campaign battle.
Volatile independent Ron Nightingale has pumped out press releases THE LNP’s Rob Molhoek is more comfortable than during the last campaign. Boundary changes have increased his margin from 3.2 per cent to 7.8 per cent after he lost Parkwood, Arundel and Labrador to Bonney.
The southern tip of the new electorate includes Benowa and the exclusive properties along the Nerang River and upmarket Bundall. suburbs of Labrador, Parkwood and Arundel.
The LNP’s chances of losing a sitting member is highest at neighbouring Gaven where its MP Sid Cramp will face a unionbacked campaign.
After interviews with MPs, candidates and assessments of electoral boundary changes, the Bulletin produces the 2017 State poll punter’s guide. The ALP in late July endorsed 55-year-old nurse Christopher Johnson. He has lived in Upper Coomera for 14 years. Mr Johnson works at the mental health acute care team at the Gold Coast University Hospital, and his campaign has focused on the cuts by the former Newman Government on frontline health services and repairs by Labor. every day.“The battle for Bonney has become a decision by voters whether they want the age and experience of a conservative independent or the youth of the major parties,” he wrote yesterday.
A Reachtel poll conducted for the Bulletin in August revealed the LNP was ahead with 40.6 per cent of the vote with Labor trailing on 31.8 per cent. Independents were expected to pick up 2.8 per cent of the Mr Molhoek is not aware of any candidate standing against him. “I keep calling up the Labor Party website and it comes up Labor was confident of winning Coomera in 2009 but Mr Crandon, a successful businessman, ran a grassroots campaign. The key issue here is infrastructure deficit. Mr Crandon is constantly tabling petitions in the parliament seeking more carparking around train stations and upgraded schools. Exits 41, 45 and 49 on the Pacific Motorway need upgrading, more police are needed on the beat and electricity costs continue impact on young families. What will be interesting about the campaign here is the promises made by the LNP if it secures government. vote while almost nine per cent of residents remain undecided. Mr O’Connor maintains voters are concerned about three issues - crime, congestion and cost of living.
Mr Holzberger can enjoy having the Commonwealth Games Village in the heart of his electorate along with light rail stage two.
The winner might determine whether Queensland has a majority government. with Senator Murray Watt.” His feedback from residents suggests family safety is an important issue with many concerned about the rise in domestic violence.
“For me, I have a lot of growth pressures to manage because of infill development. Once the Commonwealth Games Village becomes residential after the Games, it will put pressure on the local schools,” he said. FORMER Newman Government Minister David Crisafulli beat the sitting LNP MP Verity Barton in a much publicised pre-selection battle in May. His campaign until last week has arguably been the most professional so far, pushing for more cops at the Runaway Bay police station and upgraded school facilities at Coombabah Primary School. But Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones stung him in State Parliament last week when she revealed he had bailed on a hospitality company before liquidators were appointed.
Mr Crisafulli maintains he had attempted to help the company and was a creditor but his rivals like One Nation’s Brenden Ball have a spring in their step. The boundary changes have improved the seat for the LNP from a 7.2 per cent margin to 16.3 per cent, largely due to the inclusion of Hope Island waterfront property owners. Mr Ball began doorknocking almost a year ago. The Greens candidate Daniel Kwon works with the unemployed and has run for political office before. Broadwater always guarantees the most robust community debates courtesy of THIS is a new seat in the city’s north which political analysts believe favours the LNP by a margin of 5.3 per cent. Albert MP Mark Boothman, who had a margin of 1.6 per cent after the 2015 poll, spent the last few months doorknocking residents and letter box dropping potential new constituents.
He has lost half of Helensvale and gained LNP friendly rural areas like Maudsland, Guanaba, Clagiraba and Wongawallen.
The stand-out issue is the state of the Pacific Motorway.
“The congestion on the M1 is doing people’s heads in. Every time I’ve talked to people about a second M1, they’ve the meet the candidate meetings hosted by Paradise Point Progress Association.
Mr Ball is promising to fix car parking issues and duplicate the bridge at Jabiru Island which connects the beachside with the M1. “We need more police resources on the Broadwater,” he said. Mr Crisafulli is the shortpriced favourite and if elected will change the LNP leadership base on the Glitter Strip. jumped at it (the idea). I’ve virtually had no-one say no to it,” Mr Boothman said. One Nation has endorsed businessman Darrell Lane, a northern Coast resident for the past decade. His background is in wholesale and retailing.
Mr Boothman has been standing on the footpaths of major intersections, visiting sporting groups. Labor is yet to endorse a candidate.