One key issue has emerged as the major fault-line candidates will have to address in the Fadden by-election as they begin door knocking voters in the Gold Coast’s north.
The Coalition has announced Cameron Caldwell as its candidate for the upcoming Fadden by-election. Mr Caldwell narrowly beat out four other contenders in a party room vote for the candidacy. The Coalition is heavily expected to retain the blue ribbon seat on July 15 following the resignation of senior frontbencher Stuart Robert.
Both Labor and One Nation are campaigning on the ground as the LNP on the weekend announced Gold Coast City Councillor Cameron Caldwell had won a preselection battle for the seat.
Cr Caldwell after Saturday’s marathon ballot where he defeated four other candidates spent Sunday with his family.
Cameron Caldwell arriving at the preselection. Picture Mike Batterham.
One Nation secretary Damian Huxham said their candidate, accountant Sandy Roach, has met with residents and recruited volunteers, some of them disaffected former Liberal members
“On her visits to residents, Sandy says two critical issues are standing out – the housing and rental crisis, and the rising cost of living,” Mr Huxham said.
“These are national crises affecting all Australian communities and they are being acutely felt in Fadden.
Homeless store their belongings under a giant tarp outside the entrance to Southport TAFE in the middle of town at Nerang Street, Southport. Picture Glenn Hampson.
“Gold Coast families are facing the loss of their homes because they can’t meet increased mortgage payments. More families are facing homelessness because of an acute shortage
of rentals and huge increases in rents.
“More families are going without essentials as they struggle with rising energy bills, fuel costs and grocery bills.”
Mr Huxham maintains Labor’s cost-of-living relief in the federal budget would not go far enough to help families, given a 25 per cent hike will occur in household energy bills from July.
“Labor won’t address the real cause of rising energy bills – their appalling climate change policies – and won’t address the factor driving unprecedented demand in the housing and rental market, Labor’s record immigration,” Mr Huxham said.
One Nation candidate for Fadden Sandy Roach.
“The Coalition has offered nothing to fix these problems either, they’re in lock-step with Labor on immigration. While they ignore community sentiment on immigration, homelessness in Queensland has risen 22 per cent in the past five years.”
Labor is putting forward its candidate from last year’s federal poll to contest the northern Gold Coast by-election but it concedes the party’s prospects of victory are slim.
Letitia Del Fabbro recorded a 3.5 per cent swing towards the ALP in Fadden at the 2022 election.
Gold Coast-based Federal Minister Murray Watt applauded the nursing educator for trimming the margin at last year’s poll.
But Senator Watt added “we need to recognise that Fadden is a rolled gold LNP seat”.
“Pimpama, which is obviously in the centre of it, has over 50 per cent of renters. For renters, housing affordability is a big issue,” he said.
“Rental assistance was increased in the recent budget. We are ploughing a lot of money into social and community housing, more than the former government did.”
Senator Watt said the LNP was not supporting Labor’s election commitment of investing $10 billion a year in Housing Australia Future Fund, which would see $500 million spent on building 30,000 new affordable homes.
“Some of it would be for veterans, for women fleeing domestic violence, for essential workers, the teachers and nurses struggling to afford housing. The Greens and the LNP are basically ganging up in the Senate to block it.
“We will be reminding voters that the LNP are standing in the way of 30,000 new social and affordable housing.”
Labor candidate for Fadden Letitia Del Fabbro. Picture: Keith Woods.
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