Labor eyes northern suburbs

LABOR has fired its first political shots on the Gold Coast for the next Federal election signalling where is going to fight its campaign.

The battle will not be on the Glitter Strip but in the city’s fast-growing northern suburbs where the ALP hopes to win its first seat.

Labor’s target is Forde held by the LNP’s Bert Van Manen with a margin of 4.4 per cent.

Gold Coast-based Senator Murray Watt and Forde Labor candidate Des Hardman met yesterday with small business operators at Upper Coomera to discuss the Turnbull Government’s $65 million tax cut for big business.

Senator Watt said new data from the parliamentary library showed the tax cut would not help the small businesses in the Coast electorate.

“There are thousands of small businesses in Forde. But Malcolm Turnbull and Bert Van Manen have decided to give a tax cut to just 13 big businesses instead,” he said.

The ALP admitted the press conference has wider implications, signalling the party’s focus on the Coast seat.

“This will be the Gold Coast seat we will be targeting. This is a must-win seat for Labor to win government,” a Labor source said.

Mr Van Manen won with 50.6 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis in the 2016 poll.

Mr Hardman, a radiographer at the Logan Hospital, secured a swing of 3.6 per cent for Labor and the Greens had a boost of 2.3 per cent bringing their vote to 6.4 per cent.

Senator Watt acknowledged the Coast seat was more obtainable than the others on the Coast where the LNP has almost unbeatable margins.

“It’s one of the most marginal seats in the country.

“Bert Van Manen — he’s flown under the radar for years. He keeps backing Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts to local schools, hospitals and penalty rates. It’s all to fund a big business tax cut that barely benefits Forde.”