LNP FIGHT FOR FADDEN LOCKED IN

The hotly contested Fadden preselection for the LNP will be held next weekend after a marathon round of candidate vetting.

LNP members in the Gold Coast federal seat have been told the Fadden preselection would be next Saturday starting at 1.15pm at the Runaway Bay Community Centre.

They have been advised the five candidates are Cameron Caldwell, Owen Caterer, Craig Hobart, Dinesh Palipana and Fran Ward.

THE CANDIDATES Cameron Caldwell Owen Caterer Craig Hobart Dinesh Palipana Fran Ward

The Fadden preselection for the LNP will be held next weekend after a marathon round of candidate vetting.

LNP members in the Gold Coast federal seat have been told the Fadden preselection would be next Saturday starting at 1.15pm at the Runaway Bay Community Centre.

They were advised the five candidates were Cameron Caldwell, Owen Caterer, Craig Hobart, Dinesh Palipana and Fran Ward.

Members must produce photographic identification and were warned the doors to the centre would be locked at 2pm for the presentation by candidates followed by the ballot. The close of nominations now allows candidates to reach out to about 300 members.

“They’ve (the candidates) been given a list of all the people who can vote,” an LNP source said. “They can contact them directly.

“You have 300 people to contact. About 50 of those are unlikely to turn up on the weekend. At the end it will come down to relationships. The ones who have (longterm) relationships (with members) are Cameron and Fran.”

Several sources claim Dr Palipana and his support team have begun a text blitz making contact with up to 80 members seeking personal meetings.

Dr Palipana is strongly supported by Bonney MP Sam O’Connor, causing a rift between the state MP and Councillor Cameron Caldwell.

Party sources suggest Mr Caldwell is the frontrunner, but there continues to be speculation about who he will face in the final vote, whether

Ms Ward or Dr Palipana gains the numbers.

A background brief on Ms Ward, outlines her LNP involvement, including five years as Fadden branch chair and campaigning across five federal polls.

An LNP source said that candidates would be blitzing the party membership across the seat.

“There are five candidates, but the view of the membership is that it’s a two-horse race between Cameron (Caldwell) and Dinesh (Palipana) right now,” the source said.

“Now the nominations have closed, this week is when there will be actively campaigning, so this week in Fadden will be like a mini-election as each candidate now has five days to make their case.”

Runaway Bay resident Owen Caterer is considered a dark horse candidate.

The 45-year-old former treasurer for the LNP’s Fadden branch has had a long career in wealth management, including a 10-year stint living in China.

He is currently the secretary of the party’s state Southport branch.

The date of the Fadden byelection is July 15. The retirement of Stuart Robert sparked the by-election, just one year after the federal election.