Stab Magazine | Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew Is Running For The Seat Of Burleigh

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

677 Views

Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew Is Running For The Seat Of Burleigh

The ’78 World Champion and Australian surfing icon joins the Queensland Labor Party. 

news // Aug 16, 2020
Words by stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Queensland state election is looming – October 31st – and it will be the first poll that counts* since the pandemic kicked off in March. The incumbent Labor party and their leader Annastacia Palaszczuk are slightly trailing in the polls – despite voters overall supporting the party’s response to the pandemic, particularly strong border closures – and it looks to be a tight battle.

In Australian elections however, you don’t vote for the leader, you vote for a local representative. And the Queensland Labor party has recently secured a new face for the seat of Burleigh: the 1978 World Surfing Champion, Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew, who also received an Order of Australia in 2009. 

Rabbit was asked personally by Annastacia to run for the seat, and he gladly accepted. While not openly political in recent years, he does have some prior experience in the bureaucratic realm. Rabbit was President of the Association of Surfing Professionals from 1999 to 2009 and CEO for the first four of those years. 

Historically, the Gold Coast is politically conservative and the current MP for the seat is a Liberal-National Party member by the name of Michael Hart who won the seat by more than 5-percent in 2017. To overcome this intellectual malaise, the Labor Party is hoping that a well-known and loved character from the region can win the seat back for the first time since 2012. 

Party politics aside, you would struggle to find many individuals in the Gold Coast with a bad word to say about Wayne. Furthermore, the GC is obviously chock full of surfers, and considering how politically disengaged they generally are a surfing hall-of-famer may just spark an interest. 

Anna & Rabbit this morning. Photo: ABC News

“I’ve known Rabbit for many years, having first worked with him to secure the designation of the Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve,” Premier Palaszczuk said this morning at a waterside presser.

“Rabbit has shown himself over many years to be a passionate and effective advocate for his community. You only have to meet him once to see how much he loves the Gold Coast community. I know Rabbit and I know we’ll work well together in Government to make the southern Gold Coast an even better place to live.”

Rabbit himself also had a few, evidently scripted, words to say at the conference alongside the Queensland Premier. 

“Like many Queenslanders, I have been so impressed by the Premier’s leadership during this COVID-19 global pandemic. She has kept Queenslanders safe which has meant the Gold Coast can start getting on the move again.

“When I worked with the Premier to secure the World Surfing Reserve I could tell how much she cared about the Gold Coast. I also know that she gets things done which is another reason I was so attracted to this opportunity. I plan to use my experience and understanding of this community to protect our lifestyle here and get results.

“That means better public transport, more secure local jobs, fighting against inappropriate development and continuing to protect our ocean.”

Politics may seem an odd place for a surfing world champion, but if a dullard fired from Tourism Australia can hold the highest office, I believe Wayne is more than competent to represent the few thousand people of Burleigh. 

As of publishing, Stab has reached out for an interview with Wayne. Assuming it goes ahead, if you want to ask a serious question of Wayne directly, you can email it to [email protected]

If you just want to get some upvotes, comment below!

*There’s a Northern Territory state election prior, but it won’t act as much of a barometer for the political atmosphere in the rest of the country. “The territory, of course, is a politically eccentric place,” as Mike Seccombe put it in yesterday’s Saturday Paper. 

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024

Cheat Codes: A Million Miles Worth Of Travel Advice From Coco Ho

Hard-earned wisdom from more than 2,000 hours in the troposphere.

Mar 15, 2024
Advertisement