LNP rejects Labor’s ‘secret deal’ claims
LNP candidates in two hotly contested Gold Coast seats have rejected Labor claims they have done a “secret deal” with One Nation.
The accusation was made after Pauline Hanson’s resurgent party decided against running candidates in the key marginals of Gaven and Bonney.
Labor candidate for Gaven Meaghan Scanlon, who is challenging sitting MP Sid Cramp, said she was suspicious of a deal.
“It’s very interesting that there is not any One Nation candidate here,” she said.
“It appears there has been some secret deal done to save the Member for Gaven.”
Ms Scanlon’s accusation was echoed by her Bonney counterpart Rowan Holzberger, who is in a tight battle with the LNP’s Sam O’Connor.
Mr Holzberger said the absence of One Nation in the marginal seat “smacked of a secret deal”.
“They are running in seats where Labor has less of a chance,” he said.
But both Mr Cramp and Mr O’Connor strongly rejected the claim that any deal had been done with One Nation.
“No, the first I heard about Mr Dickson’s (One Nation leader Steve Dickson) commentary about this seat was when I was contacted by media,” Mr Cramp said.
Mr O’Connor said it was up to One Nation to decide where they would run candidates.
“We get that people are angry and want change and the only option they have is to vote LNP,” he said.
A Reachtel poll conducted by the Bulletin in August had Pauline Hanson’s party tracking at 15 per cent of the vote in Gaven and 12.8 per cent in the new seat of Bonney.
Under the recent boundary changes, both seats only slightly favour the LNP with Mr O’Connor facing the Coast’s toughest battle with only a 2.2 per cent lead. Mr Cramp, who won Gaven by 912 votes in 2015, has a slightly better margin at 2.8 per cent.
One Nation Queensland leader Steve Dickson said he had worked strongly with Mr Cramp on parliamentary committees before he defected from the LNP to One Nation in January this year.
“I’ve known Sid for a number of years in Parliament. I have the greatest respect for him,” Mr Dickson told the Bulletin.
Mr Dickson declined to offer advice for One Nation voters in the northern electorates on how they should cast their ballots.
“People on the Gold Coast will make a decision on who they vote for,” he said.
Mr Cramp was yesterday gifted a great start by taking the number one position on the ballot paper in Gaven.
The LNP incumbent is followed by Ms Scanlon, while Greens candidate Sally Spain is ranked third.
In Bonney, Mr O’Connor will be first on the ballot paper, while Mr Holzberger was drawn third.
Independents Ron Nightingale and Robert Buegge took out the second and fifth spots respectively.
Greens candidate Amin Javanmard will be placed on the ballot in fourth spot.
One Nation have put up four candidates on the Gold Coast in Broadwater, Coomera, Mudgeeraba and Theodore.
All four seats are considered safe.
THEY (ONE NATION) ARE RUNNING IN SEATS WHERE LABOR HAS LESS OF A CHANCE ROWAN HOLZBERGER