REMEMBER WHEN

Tuesday August 8, 2006 GOLD COAST BULLETIN

BOB Quinn was dumped as leader of the Liberal Party after he was ambushed in a party room coup orchestrated by his closest political ally.

A clearly shell-shocked Mr Quinn retreated to his Mermaid Waters home to discuss with wife Madonna whether to quit Parliament altogether after his own deputy, Dr Bruce Flegg, took over as leader.

With no representative at party leadership level in any party in federal politics, the manoeuvring left the Gold Coast, the state’s second biggest city and the nation’s sixth largest, with just one political representative in state Cabinet — Tourism and Fair Trading Minister Margaret Keech, the member for Albert.

The Robina MP’s surprise dumping was the culmination in a day of upheaval for both sides of politics.

However, it was all the more shocking given Mr Quinn was almost entirely credited with the Liberal Party’s recent renaissance after he spent the previous five years rebuilding it.

Speculation over his future had been rife since the failed merger bid with the National Party two months earlier.

However, the move to dump Mr Quinn so close to a state election surprised everyone, with the National Party believed to be furious the controversy has diverted attention away from the embattled Beattie Labor Government.

Mr Quinn left Parliament at the 2006 election, and was replaced by Liberal Ray Stevens who retains the seat today.

The Coalition failed to win the 2006 election and the parties finally merged in 2008.

The combined LNP has won just a single election — 2012.