CONSIDER YOUR VOTE

THE Gold Coast has long been LNP heartland, but is it getting bang for its buck?

That is the key question voters will have to ask themselves at October’s state election.

The conservative party is utterly dominant at a federal level and 10 of the Gold Coast’s 11 state MPs hail from the right.

But many of these MPs have been very comfortable for a long time, protected by thick voter margins which mean there is little realistic chance that they face any kind of serious threat at the ballot box.

Comfort breeds complacency and this does not do the Gold Coast any good when it comes to fighting for its fair share of funding for major infrastructure projects.

Despite the enormous challenges facing the Gold Coast in the age of COVID-19, many of our state MPs have been all but invisible.

That the State Government is more frequently challenged on major points of policy by Gold Coast councillors than they are from our local Opposition MPs should be a point of concern for voters.

The enthusiasm of young guns like Bonney’s Sam O’Connor shows the good that can come from fresh blood and new ideas when hungry for success.

It has been more than a decade since the Gold Coast last backed a majority of Labor MPs at a state level

But what cannot be argued with is that the ALP while in government, has approved every major infrastructure project on the Gold Coast in the past 20 years.

That the state LNP has such a tissuethin list of achievements from its time in office is another point for voters to consider when casting their ballots.

Labor’s move on Sunday to preselect surfing legend Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholemew is a canny move from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Far from being an empty celebrity candidate, the world champion has got serious runs on the board and deep roots in the local community.

Burleigh will be a tough race and it will be up to voters to decide who should win.