DON’T DUMP EXPERIENCE BEFORE THE USE-BY DATE

IN THEIR fallout from failure, some Liberal-National Party figures have called for a clean-out of party ranks.

This “out with the old, in with the new” approach is as understandable as it is dull and predictable.

There were various reasons why voters rejected the LNP and its candidates, but being old was not one of them.

So it is refreshing to hear John-Paul Langbroek feistily hit back at the freshblood brigade.

“I’m 56, not 86, and I’m here for another term. They are welcome to come and challenge me for preselection,” he said. “My electorate has re-endorsed me and anyone from the LNP or anyone else can have a go and I will see them off.” Bam. Take that, faceless ageists!

It is clear Mr Langbroek has lost none of the fire he breathed when he entered Parliament in the early 2000s.

That is good news for our city. As much as anybody, Mr Langbroek gets the Gold Coast and its tourism heart.

And unlike some of his colleagues elsewhere in the state, he knows his electorate.

What cannot be denied is that, having won his sixth successive contest for Surfers Paradise, during which time he has transformed it from a marginal seat to an impregnable LNP stronghold, JP Langbroek is a formidable politician.

And at a time when it is all too apparent the LNP is crying out for leadership, it could do worse than exploit Mr Langbroek’s political acumen.

At the very worst, he must be brought into the inner sanctum of LNP strategy and decision making.

As a society, we too often dismiss people way before their use-by date. It’s a costly mistake.

The truth is, middle-aged and “elderly’’ people can and do offer much that their younger counterparts cannot match.

And at a time when companies need to keep lean to compete, smart employers are waking up to the power of experience.

They have realised that older workers are often more reliable, more loyal, hungrier, calmer and observant.

For them, life is not a theory, it is a lived reality.

They know what a recession is. They remember life before social media. They have perspective.

US business consultant Stephen Bastien says hiring “older’’ workers cannot only save businesses millions of dollars in hiring and exit costs, it can boost profits.

“The next time you need to make a hiring decision, you should seriously consider older workers,’’ he says.

“Their contribution to your company could positively impact your bottom line for years to come.’’

LNP strategists would do well to remember that when they consider their next move.