Electoral district of Surfers Paradise

Surfers Paradise
Queensland—Legislative Assembly

Surfers Paradise (2008—)
State Queensland
MP John-Paul Langbroek
Party Liberal National
Namesake Surfers Paradise
Electors 34,315 (2015)
Area 27 km2 (10.4 sq mi)
Coordinates 27°59′S 153°24′E / 27.983°S 153.400°E / -27.983; 153.400Coordinates: 27°59′S 153°24′E / 27.983°S 153.400°E / -27.983; 153.400

Surfers Paradise is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland. Located in the central portion of the Gold Coast, it is named for Surfers Paradise, the largest suburb of the Gold Coast.

While the Gold Coast has historically tilted conservative, Surfers Paradise has historically been a particularly conservative seat even by Gold Coast standards. It is one of the few areas of the Gold Coast where Labor has never been competitive at the state level. It was originally a National seat for all but one term from its creation in 1972 to 2001, with its best-known member being Rob Borbidge, the last National Premier of Queensland.

This tradition was broken after Borbidge resigned in the wake of the Coalition's massive defeat in the 2001 state election. Due to voter anger at having to go back to the polls for the second time in three months, the Nationals' primary vote plummeted to eight percent, allowing the former mayor of the Gold Coast, Lex Bell, to win as an independent. The seat reverted to form at the 2004 state election, in which Bell was defeated by current member John-Paul Langbroek of the Liberals on a large swing. Since then, the seat has been one of the safest seats in Queensland for the Liberals and the merged Liberal National Party of Queensland. Langbroek briefly served as opposition leader from 2011 to 2012--the first member from the Liberal side of the merger to hold the post.

The seat is almost entirely within the equally conservative federal seat of Moncrieff.

Members for Surfers Paradise

MemberPartyTerm
  Sir Bruce Small Country 1972–1975
  National Country 1975–1977
  Bruce Bishop Liberal 1977–1980
  Rob Borbidge National Country 1980–1982
  National 1982–2001
  Lex Bell Independent 2001–2004
  John-Paul Langbroek Liberal 2004–2008
  Liberal National 2008–present

Election results

Queensland state election, 2015: Surfers Paradise[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal National John-Paul Langbroek 17,569 61.06 −11.57
Labor Josh Blundell-Thornton 6,544 22.74 +6.20
Greens Helen Hunt 2,221 7.72 +0.60
Palmer United Stephen Gardner 1,749 6.08 +6.08
Family First Jonathon Scoones 692 2.40 −1.31
Total formal votes 28,775 97.94 +0.18
Informal votes 605 2.06 −0.18
Turnout 29,380 84.12 −2.57
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal National John-Paul Langbroek 18,405 69.21 −10.29
Labor Josh Blundell-Thornton 8,188 30.79 +10.29
Liberal National hold Swing −10.29

References

  1. ↑ 2015 State General Election - Surfers Paradise - District Summary, ECQ.

External links

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