TRAM BATTLE WILL GO ON

THE people have spoken and the LNP stranglehold on the Gold Coast is tighter than it was last time.

And it seems not many saw the weekend’s stunning election result coming, including many of the sitting LNP members who Prime Minister Scott Morrison has led back to the halls of power.

The good news on the Gold Coast is the Liberals’ victory is being hailed as a big plus for the city’s economy.

This city is built on the pillars of tourism, construction and small business with emerging economic strands in education plus a developing health and knowledge precinct.

Coupled with that, the Gold Coast lifestyle is the envy of the country.

But one thing that has hamstrung progression in this city is its political consistency.

Long taken for granted as LNP heartland, the cynical but also realistic theory is the LNP feels they don’t have to try too hard to retain their seats.

By the same token, Labor feel their resources are better utilised elsewhere.

It has resulted in no favours when it comes to major project support on the Coast that is deserved and justified.

The key case in point – and one this newspaper has championed throughout the election campaign – has been the push for more Federal funding to keep the light rail moving south to Burleigh.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison backed an earlier commitment from his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull for $112 million for Stage 3A’s Broadbeach-Burleigh extension.

Labor challenger Bill Shorten failed to apply pressure to his counterpart (in perhaps a microcosm of the bigger picture nationally) when he only matched the Federal Coalition’s $112 million commitment.

It was a ripe opportunity to go one up on the incumbents but it went begging.

Now attention locally will turn to the city’s returned crop of Federal MPs – Stuart Robert for Fadden, Karen Andrews for McPherson, Bert van Manen for Forde, Scott Buchholz for Wright and newcomer for Moncrieff Angie Bell – to see if they will seriously go in to bat for the people who backed them at the ballot box.

The warning signs are already ominous. There was none among them willing to put themselves forward to push for the extra funding both Mayor Tom Tate and State Goverment Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey have said is desperately needed.

The pair’s number crunching has the guaranteed Federal commitment down as $157 million short.

A frustrated Cr Tate, who has been leading the lobbying, even bowed to compromise recently, saying he would take an extra $45 million if the vital city project could get it.

It will require a concerted twin-pronged push by him and Mr Bailey to help get the extension over the line.

Light rail hold-ups aside, the city’s leaders are welcoming the poll result at the weekend as a positive for the city’s economy and the certainty that comes with it.

It will give confidence to business, particularly the multitude of small family ones which thrive across the Gold Coast.

City State LNP MPs will also be buoyed by the result spurred by Queensland voters.