REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Saturday February 14, 1987

BACK off attacking Sir Joh — That was the warning handed out to Gold Coast federal MP Peter White by National Party MP Rob Borbidge.

Mr Borbidge delivered his warning against a background of conjecture that the Queensland MP might contest Mr White’s seat of McPherson.

If that occurred, Mr Borbidge predicted that Sir Joh would walk in.

The possibility of Sir Joh opposing Mr White intrigued Gold Coast political followers because of the bitter clashes between the two men when the Liberal was the State MP for Southport from 1977 to 1980.

Mr White said the National Party was set to self-destruct and hand government to Prime Minister Bob Hawke on a platter. He said if one leg of the National-Liberal Coalition collapsed it would be the end of the federal coalition.

And although the Gold Coast election door had been shut on Sir Joh, with the closure of nominations for the McPherson and Moncrieff electorates, it became clear that it had not been locked or bolted.

National Party sources conceded there was a chance that preselection procedures could be changed if Sir Joh decided he wanted to stand for a Gold Coast seat.

“It would be up to the management committee, but they would have the power to make the necessary changes,” said one source.

Mr Borbidge confirmed this. “I would imagine that if the Premier was particularly interested in a Gold Coast seat our people would try to assist,” he said. But Sir Joh ultimately failed to nominate for a seat at the 1987 poll.