Pauline in fightback

Gaven, Currumbin in sights

ONE Nation is returning to the fight on the Gold Coast in one of Queensland’s most critical seats this upcoming October election.

The Bulletin can reveal Pauline Hanson’s outspoken right-wing party will stand candidates in both Gaven and Currumbin, and is expected to announce more candidates in coming weeks.

Political analysts predict the LNP will need One Nation’s preferential votes to topple the city’s only sitting Labor MP, Gaven’s Meaghan Scanlon, and maintain their hold on other electorates.

Poll results in the March byelection show One Nation preferences helped Currumbin MP Laura Gerber.

The One Nation party experienced a record surge in popularity in the lead-up to the 2017 election after they publicly opposed development on The Spit.

Shock results released in May 2017 saw One Nation’s primary vote sitting at 18.5 per cent, with LNP polling at 31.8 per cent and Labor on 27 per cent at the same time.

One Nation’s Gaven candidate, Nerang business owner Sharon Sewell said she volunteered herself to run in the vital seat.

“I’m well aware of how close (Gaven) is to the Labor party because I watched it very closely in the last election,” she said. “I put my hand up because I love the area so much, I live here.”

Asked about the LNP’s predicted reliance on One Nation’s preferential votes she said: “We haven’t made our decisions on preferences yet.

“All I want to focus on is my campaign and getting balance in the Queensland Government for One Nation.”

One Nation didn’t run a candidate in Gaven in 2017.

I PUT MY HAND UP BECAUSE I LOVE THE AREA SO MUCH

SHARON SEWELL

Current polling shows the party decreased from 15 per cent to 12 per cent after their matriarch kept a low profile during the pandemic.

LNP candidate Kirsten Jackson did not respond to multiple requests by the Bulletin for comment.

One Nation’s Currumbin candidate Glen Wadsworth said his campaign would focus on a post-COVID recovery plan and prioritise the area’s crime rates.

“The Gold Coast has faced enormous financial setback facing the coronavirus, along with the State Government’s poor decision to keep the border closed for so long,” he said.

“Not a day goes by where I’m not speaking to other business operators who are terribly worried about their longevity in the wake of this pandemic.”

One Nation’s 2017 Currumbin candidate Andy Semple withdrew after only a single day in the running after he was asked by the party to delete an offensive tweet.

Without a candidate there was a -3.7 per cent swing away from the party at the polls.