Rival labours for win
NO matter what happens on May 18, Des Hardman isn’t going to die wondering.
The Labor candidate for the northern Gold Coast seat of Forde is in the fight of his life to win what has been called one of the “must-watch’’ seats at next Saturday’s election.
Held by the LNP on a knifeedge 0.9 per cent margin, Forde could prove to be one of the key battlegrounds to determine who governs Australia.
Mr Hardman, who previously contested the seat in 2016, says he’s throwing everything he’s got at it, hitting the campaign trail for up to 15 hours every day.
“I am determined to become the federal member for Forde,” he said. “I know that there is only one way to do this and that is to put every ounce of energy into making sure I am having that conversation and winning voters’ support.”
An old Queenslander in Beenleigh is headquarters for Labor’s campaign in the seat, with a team of volunteers ranging from teenagers through to 81-year-old retiree John Cooper manning the phones to get their message out. Since the election was called on April 11, the campaign team says it has made more than 10,000 phone calls to voters and knocked on 7000 doors in the area.
“We have been ramping up and the idea is to do more and more every week,” Mr Hardman said. “Just last week we knocked on 2317 doors and made 3256 calls alone.”
On Thursday afternoon Mr Hardman met with voters outside Ormeau’s Norfolk Village State School.
In an hour he was approached by voters either pledging support or putting promises under a spotlight. But far from arguments about franking credits or immigration, Mr Hardman was peppered with questions on cost of living and traffic congestion.
One young father wanted to know how the candidate would solve traffic jams on the M1 which he was forced to drive through several times a day. A mum of two questioned how Labor would make schooling more affordable.
One of the most nailbiting moments of an election is the hour between polls closing at 6pm and the first results streaming in. Mr Hardman says he already knows what will be going through his mind.
“I will be relieved we have got to this point and will be incredibly hopeful of success we deserve,” he said.