The controversial federal member for Moncrieff, Steven Ciobo, has a beef with ‘pokies licences’. Since mandatory pre-commitment laws were proposed by Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie in 2010, Ciobo has argued firmly against them and many believe that this is due to his plan for increasing tourism to the Gold Coast.

Ciobo believes that in order to transform the Gold Coast and increase tourism, it is vital that visitors be allowed to continue to have access to poker machines and other recreational gambling without having to register for, effectively, a ‘licence’.

Ciobo has held a seat in the House of Representatives since 2001. The 37-year-old Liberal member grew up in Mareeba and is the youngest of three. He lived with his parents who ran a tourism business in Cairn and they taught him about the struggling industry.

Ciobo recognises his parents career as the cause of his initial interest in tourism. In 2007 he became Chairman of the Coalition Friends of Tourism Group and he was appointed shadow minister of tourism and small business.

Despite proving his popularity in Moncrieff by winning four consecutive federal elections with consistently high margins, Ciobo’s insistence on promoting his own views and openly supporting Malcolm Turnbull over Tony Abbott in the Liberal leadership spill may have potentially cost him any future advances in his career.

After Abbott’s one-vote win over Turnbull in December 2009, Ciobo was moved from the shadow ministry to the backbench where he remains.

Abbott refused to publicly discuss the demotion, but did make a comparison to the media about politics and the game of snakes and ladders.

Despite no longer being the Shadow Minister for Tourism, Ciobo continues to use his seat in the House of Representatives to promote his belief that the Gold Coast should become centred around tourism.

Understanding the struggling industry, Ciobo is attempting to transform the Gold Coast into the tourism capital of Australia. He believes that gambling, glitz and glamour will be the only way they can compete with major cities all around the world. He argues that not only will this bring money into Moncrieff but it will also dramatically decrease unemployment rates.

The chances of success for Ciobo’s envisaged future of the Gold Coast has been jeopardised by Andrew Wilkie’s plan to initiate further pokie regulation.

Ciobo has been publicly open with his opinions since first becoming involved in politics. Whether he is writing his own articles for publication or giving statements and interviews on the news, he has never been known to shy away from the spotlight.

An opinionated Ciobo often creates some form of controversy when he appears in the media. Ciobo has set himself up for both public support and opposition through his use of online media. He believes ‘any coverage is good coverage’, and isn’t worried whether he receives positive or negative feedback.

Ciobo has also made a habit of appearing on radio shows to debate current affairs, give statements and to promote himself in upcoming elections. During his 2007 election campaign, Ciobo accepted a dare set by a local radio station to ride the ‘Sling Shot Bungee’ at Surfers Paradise Adrenalin Park. Very little politics was spoken during this two minute coverage but the radio station believed that this ‘stunt’ managed to successfully increase his ‘fame’.

The dare was broadcast live on the radio and the footage was uploaded to YouTube. This form of coverage potentially meant that individuals not only from Moncrieff but all over Australia would be able to recognise him.

Many think Ciobo’s public support of Turnbull in 2009 had a tremendously negative impact on his career. If he’d voted for Turnbull but kept his opinions non-committal, there is every possibility that he would still be a shadow minister and not be residing on the backbench.

But Peter van Onselen from The Australian believes that the popularity Ciobo held within the media should have convinced Abbott not to demote him.

It is difficult to determine whether so much media coverage has helped or destroyed Ciobo in his career. The thousands of passionate comments directed to or about Ciobo posted all over the internet have managed to effect him in both ways.

It appears that the impact Ciobo has had on Moncrieff, tourism and politics has left Australians with either one extreme view of him or the other. His wife admits that ‘you have to love him or hate him’ because for Ciobo there seems to be very little in between.

Despite conflicting opinions of Ciobo, politicians are able to respect that he is a very educated man who is not afraid to speak up for what he believes.

Either way you see him, Ciobo’s tactics to promote himself have evidently been a great success in Moncrieff, otherwise he would not still be their elected MP.

Jessica Smith is a second-year journalism student at La Trobe University.

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