In politics pleasing everyone is impossible. However, that certainly won’t stop the potential
members for Bowman attempting to bridge the gaping generational divide
between its elderly constituents and the rapidly growing young
population.
Taking its name from David Bowman, a former Labor member of
the Queensland Parliament, it has changed hands at regular intervals
since it’s creation in 1949, and is currently held by Liberal MP Andrew
Laming. Before the 2004 election Bowman was subject to a redistribution
that resulted in a safer Liberal margin, and a new electoral neighbour,
Bonner. Previous Labor MP for Bowman Con Sciacca held the seat twice
between 1987 and 2004, losing it briefly in 1996 only to win it back in
1998. In 2004 Sciacca left Bowman to contest the safer adjoining seat
of the newly created Bonner. With rapid growth, and the aforementioned
age gap, this outer metropolitan seat is changing fast to accommodate
the simultaneous and sometimes conflicting demands of aged care and
youth services. In addition, environmental concerns over the Beattie
Government’s plans to pump more water from Stradbroke Island to the
mainland, and its current MP under investigation by the Federal Police
for alleged misuse of party funds, make Bowman an electorate to watch
over the upcoming months.
The common concerns of many suburban voters, such as interest rate
rises and hosing affordability are key issues in the electorate of
Bowman. But Laming downplays the significance of these issues in his
electorate. "It's an issue, but not necessarily a federal one" he says.
"Most people in the Redlands area are already in their own home and
benefiting from rapid increases in housing values”. Labor candidate
Jason Young disagrees, “housing affordability is steadily increasing to
the top of the pile [of voter concerns]” he says. Greens candidate Brad
Scott suggests that "people don't feel like they are in the middle of a
boom, they are being squeezed on housing, they are being squeezed on
groceries and squeezed on petrol.” Many new housing developments have
been created from farmland to cater for the rapid growth in the region,
and local council plans to cater for this development appear to be well
underway.
With many working families in the area, the Howard Governments Work
Choices and the implementation of AWAs is expected to impact voting
across Australia. There have been reports that Bowman constituents from
a variety of employment backgrounds and in a variety of industries have
expressed the opinion that AWAs have worsened working conditions.
“Given the skills shortage in Australia you would have expected them to
come from the lower skilled sectors, but they’re not, they’re from all
sectors” Young says. Indeed, the effect that AWAs are having on young
workers seems not to be an issue confined to Bowman. “AWAs affect
mostly the young worker or the worker in hospitality, basically those
types of industries where advantage can be taken fairly easily,” Scott
says. However, Laming disagrees that the issue features prominently in
Bowman. “We have had three phone calls about that in eighteen months,”
he says. Will the IR laws cause voters to swing? You decide.
Social services are naturally a concern in an electorate that is
planning for an estimated population increase of 50,000 people by 2026.
With both an aging population and many young families, the needs of the
electorate encompass a diverse range of services from child-care and
education, through to aged-care facilities. A population rise of 50,000
people will naturally exert pressure on existing resources. Without
proper action as Laming suggests, “those problems will get worse.” Aged
care of course leads into health care, an issue that is increasingly
relevant in an aging population. “Aged-care is a prominent issue in the
electorate. Waiting lists here for aged care facilities are extremely
long,” Young says.
Despite these issues, Laming suggests that hard Infrastructure is of
primary concern, “especially in the southern end of the electorate”,
including the areas of Carbrook, Russell Island, Macleay Island and
Redland Bay. Laming suggests roads and the lack of public transport are
particularly relevant to these areas. In 2004 the southern end of the
electorate returned a strong Liberal vote. It will be interesting to
note if this will affect any voters in the southern end of the
electorate. With most of the electorate fairly well serviced,
Broadband Internet is unlikely to impact Bowman as a federal issue.
The rapid population growth of the Redland Bay area is not only putting
stress on local infrastructure, but also on natural resources. A
pressing community issue in Bowman is the state government’s current
pipeline channelling water from North Stradbroke Island to the
mainland. Stradbroke Island is one hour from Brisbane and access is
restricted to water taxi or vehicular ferry. It is one of the largest
sand islands in the world, has fresh water inland lakes, and since 1997
has had a Native Title agreement between the Redland Shire Council and
the Quandamooka Land Council.
Although it is a state-led issue, Laming
suggests that “people don’t care, they just want to have problems
fixed.” “Currently they are taking about 30 mega litres a day off
Stradbroke Island and the evidence suggests that it is probably not
sustainable in the long-term,” Laming says. Furthermore, Laming states
the plan aims to connect the water resources of Redlands and Logan,
meaning that “water will of course be available to the South East
Queensland market, which it isn’t at the moment.” The plan appears
unpopular with candidates and community members alike. “If it goes
below a certain level and sea water inundates the aquifer, that aquifer
will be lost, and it can’t be used again,” Scott says. The
sustainability of the plan is waiting to be approved by Minister for
the Environment Malcolm Turnbull later this year. Labor polls well on
Straddie, and in an electorate where every vote counts, the
state-Government’s water crisis is looking like an inconvenient issue
for Labor.
Such environmental concerns, coupled with increased tourism to North
Stradbroke Island, make the electorate particularly sensitive to issues
such as climate change. Laming suggests climate change is not a major
issue in the electorate, but carbon emissions and greenhouse gases are.
Young disagrees, claiming that, “generally in Redlands and in the seat
of Bowman people are very concerned about climate change. People have
been ringing through to my office for the twelve months since I started
campaigning.” According to Young, an increase in sea levels could
threaten canal estates such as Raby Bay. “If sea levels rise there is
the very real prospect that they could rise over the top of the land in
Raby Bay,” says Young. At the time of writing there is a Community
Climate Change Picnic Day event planned that suggests a growing
awareness of the issue in the Bowman electorate. Thanks perhaps to Al
Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, the climate change message appears to be
very present in the minds of many communities.
His recent media exposure may be Andrew Laming’s biggest concern in the
lead-up to the election. In March this year, Laming was accused of
inappropriately using Liberal Party funds. It was alleged that Laming
had been invoiced by a local printing firm for $67,000 worth of
printing that was never completed. An investigation was conducted by
the Federal Police involving a raid on his office, and not
surprisingly, the allegation quickly turned into a media scandal. At
the time of writing the case remains open. Two of Laming’s colleagues,
Member for Bonner Ross Vasta and Member for Moreton Gary Hardgrave,
have also been investigated. It is difficult to tell whether the
incident will affect Laming’s chances of retaining his seat in the
upcoming federal election. The issue could sway a few votes Labor’s
way, assuming its repercussions are not obscured in political
point-scoring in the lead up to the election. If Laming is charged, or
asked to stand down, voters will have two new candidates. Without a
loyalty or familiar vote, the Liberal margin could decrease
dramatically and the seat could be in a position to change hands.
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