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Political campaigns can be a fine art – direct mail, town hall meetings, corflutes, social media, well-honed funding promises and the recent phenomenon of the wobble board.
By Jacquelene Pearson
This is our third edition of View from a Bellwether. Here we are in sunny Point Clare, on the NSW Central Coast, in the middle of the Federal Electorate of Robertson – one of the remaining bellwether seats in Australia. A bellwether seat is usually won by the party that is able to form government out of an election.
Dr Gordon Reid is the incumbent Labor member and holding the seat is seen as crucial to the re-election of the Albanese Government. The former Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, wants to retake Robertson for the Coalition on May 3.
Climate Minister Chris Bowen is in town today, speaking at a fundraising lunch for the Reid Labor campaign at Hardys Bay. I would’ve liked to attend, to listen to what the Minister had to say about how returning the Labor Party to the government benches on May 3 would result in better climate outcomes for Australia, but I’m working!
The climate crisis, the existential issue of our times, hasn’t really been dominating the campaign talking points in Robertson, even though the climate crisis is still one of the main issues for many voters, according to the ABC.
This week’s talking points
So, what have this week’s talking points been in the Robertson campaign? Dr Reid informed the community that Headspace Gosford would receive an upgrade as part of Labor’s national billion-dollar pledge to improve mental health care across the country.
If the candidates avoid talking about the worsening climate crisis, they’re happy to talk about cutting energy bills. Dr Reid says that Labor’s national commitment to slashing the cost of installing solar batteries by 30% could cut a household’s annual energy bill by $1100.
Coastal erosion is a hot topic on the Central Coast, even though the link to global warming and sea level rise is not often discussed. Dr Reid was buoyed by NSW Premier Chris Minn’s announcement last week that he did not support the building of a vertical seawall at Wamberal.
Wamberal is mostly located in the neighbouring electorate of Dobell, but Dr Reid decided to include some quotes in a media release with NSW Legislative Council Member Mark Buttigieg and 2022 candidate for the NSW seat of Terrigal, Sam Boughton, now described as a local advocate, clearly in waiting for the next state election in two years.
“This announcement by the Minns Labor Government is music to the ears of residents in Wamberal and surrounding communities,” said Dr Reid.
“For many years, the Save Our Sands movement has been lobbying all levels of government about the dangers of seawalls and a proposed seawall at Wamberal Beach.
“I am ecstatic that the NSW Government has listened to the concerns of our community and will not allow development to occur on government land at Wamberal Beach, effectively torpedoing the proposed seawall plan.”
Where’s Lucy?
Meanwhile, Liberal candidate, Lucy Wicks, on Monday was promising a $15 million return on her pledge to give $1 million to the Australian Reptile Park to upgrade a play area – which she described as a great place for families to spend the day and a tourist magnet for the region.
Ms Wicks, as per Dr Reid for Labor, is working hard on convincing locals that the Coalition’s cost of living measures will mean cheaper petrol, utes and power bills, you name it.
It was Lucy’s campaign that reminded me that strategic “wobble boarding” is alive and well in the seat of Robertson.
Driving through GosVegas (Gosford CBD) late yesterday, I spotted about four young adults clad in Wicks-Liberal T-shirts, $5 Lucy Corflutes held above their heads or across their chests like sandwich boards, wildly gyrating from head to ankle, at the passing traffic.
The sophistry of wobble boarding is evidenced by how its effectiveness is measured – by both major parties, who participate equally in the practice. A friendly “toot” is a vote in the bank.
A gob-full of abuse from a lowered window goes in the “aliens” column on the spreadsheet. No response clearly equates to the need for more wobble boarding.
We’ve found evidence of subtle wobble boarding on Ms Wicks’ facebook page whereas Dr Reid is preferring to feature posts of supporters prepared to have a corflute on their property.
Cut-price campaign
With nominations declared at midday today, Friday, April 11, and early voting due to start in only 11 days, it is shaping up to be a “low budget” campaign in Robertson. Wobble boarding can, of course, be interpreted as a low-budget campaign tactic, somewhat austere and less invasive than wallpapering the fences along the train line with corflutes.
With the exception of Lucy’s big bug playground, there have been very few promises for big ticket local items thus far in the campaign. Candidates appear to need to be content with pushing the national announcements at the local level.
Whilst this writer is well-informed that both the major party canidates have been presented with campaign proposals that could provide opportunities to leave lasting legacies to their communities, it appears there may be too many gatekeepers around the candidates for them to be completely informed about such opportunities.
Prime Minister visits
Another topic of conversation this week is whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit Robertson during the campaign. His presence would be a personal hint of confidence in Dr Reid.
Peter Dutton has already visited Robertson (prior to PM Albanese announcing the election date) and tonight, as a touch of nostalgia, Ms Wicks will be joined at Gosford RSL by everyone’s favourite living PM, John Howard.
Will there be a Wobble Boarding Guard of Honour to welcome Mr Howard to the Coast? Unfortunately, I will be attending an opening at the regional gallery so I will have missed out on Bowen and Howard, but I am sure I will hear all about it before this time next week.
