Expatriate Kiwi may run for Queensland Parliament

Press, 16 June 1988, Page 45

Expatriate Kiwi may run for Queensland Parliament

NZPA Brisbane An expatriate New Zealander leading the public campaign against foreign ownership of Australian property may try to enter the Queensland Parliament to continue his fight.

“I am seriously considering running as an independent in the South Coast by-election on this issue,” said Bruce Whiteside, aged 54, a former Christchurch painter and paperhanger.

The Gold Coast-based seat has been left vacant by the recent retirement of the former Cabinet Minister, Russell Hinze.

A by-election is expected to be held before Queensland Parliament resumes from the winter recess on August 2& Mr Whiteside, wivo has

applied for Australian citizenship, sparked a public outcry against foreign investment last month with an “Australia for Australians” public meeting on the Gold Coast. Most of the 1300 who attended revealed open hostility against overseas investors, particularly the Japanese who have been most visible in their acquisition of prime Gold Coast development properties-

The acquisitions are fuelled by Australia’s booming $4 billion ($4.56 billion)-a-year tourist trade with Japan. Reports of Mr Whiteside’s meeting appeared in the Japanese newspaper, "Yomiuri Shimbun,” which has a daily circulation of nine

million. The newspaper described the meeting as an “Anti-Japanese rally in a country at war with Japan.” But Mr Whiteside said his campaign was not undermining AustraliaJapan relations. “There are some bad spin-offs, like Japanese schoolchildren living on the Coast being the target for abuse.

“My campaign is aimed at making Australians drop their ‘She’ll be right’ attitude and to look at what is going on around them.”

Mr Whiteside believes all foreign-owned land should revert back to the Crown by re-writing the Constitution to make it illegal for overseas in-

vestors to hold controlling interests.

He has a simple formula of compensation which he is not ready to spell out publicly but which he believes would be acceptable to all. Meanwhile, another public meeting on foreign investment held on the Gold Coast on Monday evening attracted only 50 people, including 10 from the news media.

The organiser, Brian Shepherd, said the poor attendance buried the anti-Japanese invasion lobby.

Mr Shepherd, who is contesting National Party pre-selection for the South Coast by-election, said, “Mr Whiteside and his Jap. bashers have been put to rest for ever.”