STORMY TIMES BEFORE BUDGET
The Coalition’s difficult run to this Budget was mirrored in 1998 when McPherson MP John Bradford quit
NEXT week’s Federal Budget will set the stage for an election as the electorate prepares to go to the ballot box.
This Budget, to be brought down on Tuesday, will be the last of the Turnbull Government’s current term, with the next election due to be called early next year.
It comes after months of pre-Budget disruption for the Government, which lost its Deputy Prime Minister to a scandal and dealt with the controversy surrounding the loss of 30 straight Newspolls.
But 20 years ago, it was a Gold Coast MP who caused another conservative government a headache in the weeks before the Treasurer’s big day.
In April 1998, McPherson MP John Bradford shocked the Howard Government by quitting the Liberal Party and moving to the crossbench to represent the Christian Democrats.
Mr Bradford had represented the southern Gold Coast seat in Parliament for eight years after replacing the retiring Peter White but found himself frustrated.
Despite his long service, the then 52-year-old Vietnam Veteran had never been promoted to the frontbench and found himself at odds with Prime Minister John Howard over major policy differences, including native title and aged care.
The night before handing his resignation to the PM, Mr Bradford met with senior government leaders, including Treasurer Peter Costello and Defence Minister Ian McLachlan who were unable to talk him out of the extreme measure.
“I was also extremely disappointed when the Government reneged on its election promise to ban X-rated videos,’’ Mr Bradford told media at the time.
He said he had been “horrified’’ at the attitude of the Queensland Nationals, who were pressing for wholesale extinguishment of native title.
“I’m just horrified that they see it as a window of opportunity to have an election on this,’’ he said.
Mr Howard said, through a spokesman, that he regretted Mr Bradford’s resignation but claimed it had nothing to do with the government’s policies.
However the Prime Minister was said to have shrugged off the father of three’s resignation, saying it would create openings for new talent.
The bombshell failed to derail the Budget, with Mr Costello announcing in early May that he was bringing down a larger-than-expected $2.7 billion surplus, bringing the government’s coffers back into the black.
Mr Bradford continued to sit as the leader and sole member of his party until the election, called just six months later. Instead of standing for his seat again, the parliamentarian contested a Senate seat but failed to win.
He was replaced as the Member for McPherson by Margaret May who served for 12 years.
Despite the controversy, the Howard Government was narrowly re-elected and remained in office for a further nine years before being defeated in 2007.
Mr Bradford reappeared on the Gold Coast’s political scene again a decade later when he contested the 2008 mayoral election against incumbent Ron Clarke and fellow contenders Tom Tate and Rob Molhoek.
Cr Clarke was comfortably re-elected.