A candidate for Mayor of Sunshine Coast Regional Council* attempted to defeat his rival by accusing him of planning to turn the area into a gay Mecca – and lost.

The former Mayor of Maroochy Shire Joe Natoli and former Mayor of Noosa Bob Abbot were locked in bitter rivalry for the top job, in the first elections since the forced amalgamation of Queensland councils.

Speaking on local radio, Natoli attacked Abbott, claiming he had turned Noosa into “the homosexual capital of Australia” and planned to do the same to the Sunshine Coast.

Abbott responded: “Noosa is not the gay capital of Australia. Noosa gets many, many gay visitors after the Mardi Gras and they are welcome like every other Australian. These people provide good value to the business community of the Sunshine Coast and indeed Noosa. I am not a bigot. I am not of closed mind.”

Despite winning only 30 per cent of the vote, Natoli said he did not regret playing the gay card, and denied he was homophobic.

“It was a legitimate question given that much of the campaign was about how the Sunshine Coast may change,” he said.

He said he believed the area should not be promoting itself as a gay Mecca, as it had already developed tourism brands that people were more “comfortable” with.

Paul Martin, of the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities, the state’s largest GLBTI body, thanked Sunshine Coast residents for their support.

“Mr Natoli seems to have tried to use the GLBTI community as a political football,” he said. “Judging by the huge reaction against his comments by local residents, his attempt has backfired.”

Natoli’s wife was philosophical about her husband’s defeat. “I’m back to work and I’ll have a house-husband for a while,” she said.

*Sunshine Coast Regional Council was formed by merging Caloundra City, Maroochy Shire and Noosa Shire.

by DOUG POLLARD