MP ‘no ambition’ to chase top job

LNP rising star David Crisafulli has denied he is about to challenge Deb Frecklington for the party leadership.

The Broadwater MP was accused in parliament this week of eyeing up a tilt at the top position ahead of the October 2020 election.

But Mr Crisafulli yesterday insisted he had no ambitions for the top job, saying it was “not about me”.

“No – N.O. I will let the other side (of government) be divided and play those games,” he said. “All I want for us is to win in October 2020.

“It shouldn’t be about who the politician is, what your personal ambition is. It should be about people and the people you represent.

“I am not interested in my ambition. I represent 34,000 people who do not care about my ambition and if they elect Deb Frecklington in 2020 they will hopefully get me as a senior member of the Cabinet and able to do things.”

The Opposition tourism spokesman also threw his weight behind Mayor Tom Tate’s plans for a cruise ship terminal.

The offshore project has been on the backburner while The Spit masterplan was determined.

However, Mr Crisafulli said the terminal should be a priority because it would bring more people to the city.

“The Gold Coast deserves, and would benefit immensely, from a cruise ship terminal.

“Tom Tate has run twice on it and has a mandate to do it – it’s a council project – and it is up to him to find a location and funding model that works.

“There are some people who want to use the cruise ship terminal issue to say there shouldn’t be one on the Gold Coast, but I am not one of those people.

“If the location can be sorted out and it is affordable, the Gold Coast is a city which has emerged from growth and for some people to say they don’t want a cruise ship terminal because we have enough tourism is the anti-growth, anti-anything brigade.”

Mr Crisafulli said he also supported the council’s plans for a dive site off Narrowneck but hoped to secure a former military vessel to be scuttled offshore to sit alongside the city’s purpose-built structure.

“The current idea is awesome but if you want people of all diving capabilities on this then you should have something state-of-the-art.

“We need to stop talking about eco-tourism and start opening up our green behind the gold in a sustainable way.”