A glamorous former Sunrise reporter who former Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk once called “rude” has sensationally quit television to run as an LNP candidate.
Bianca Stone has won the Liberal National Party preselection vote for the Gold Coast seat of Gaven and will stand in this year’s Queensland state election.
Stone already has a history of antagonism with the Labor Party, which has been in power in Queensland for all but six years of the last 35 since 1989.
On July 1, 2021, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Stone attempted to ask Ms. Palaszczuk a question about a request to obtain more Pfizer vaccines for the state.
Stone accused the Queensland government of engaging in a “PR stunt”, to which an inflamed Ms Palaszczuk responded: “I’m not going to respond to people being rude, so does anyone else have a question?” You’re being very rude.’
Glamorous former Sunrise reporter Bianca Stone (pictured), who former Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk once called “rude”, sensationally quit television to run as an LNP candidate.
Palaszczuk told Stone “you’re being very rude” after she asked him a question about vaccines.
After the announcement was made on Saturday, Queensland Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said Labor was not overly concerned about Stone’s preselection.
“We don’t care who the LNP selects because the lazy LNP MPs on the Gold Coast by huge margins have never contributed anything to that community,” Mr Dick said.
Stone will face current Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon in the October 26 election.
Dick said Scanlon had worked hard for her constituents and community since becoming the youngest woman elected in Queensland at the age of 24 in 2017.
‘Our government has been the transformative government of the Gold Coast. “All the big investments on the Gold Coast, heavy rail, light rail, hospitals, stadiums, all of that has been done by Labor governments,” he said.
‘Someone like Meaghan Scanlon has been absolutely instrumental in delivering those projects, cost of living relief and more housing.
“They have all been delivered by someone like Meaghan Scanlon, and she is absolutely the best choice for Gaven and the Gold Coast.”
Announcing his plans, Stone said it was obvious people felt physically and economically vulnerable under a Labor government.
He also noted gang violence as one of his main concerns.
“Community safety should be the top priority of any government and we should feel nothing but completely safe in our homes,” he said.
In April, Stone quit her job at Sunrise after six years on morning television. She had worked for Channel Seven for 18 years.
Bianca Stone (pictured) has won the Liberal National Party preselection vote for the Gold Coast seat of Gaven and will stand in this year’s Queensland state election.
Stone will face current Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon (pictured) in the October 26 election.
“This has been a difficult decision,” he posted on Instagram at the time.
‘Sunrise is like a family (albeit a bit dysfunctional at times) and I have experienced incredible moments in my career over the past six years.
“I have traveled up and down the country and around the world, covering terrorist attacks, royal visits, the death of the Queen, two Commonwealth Games, floods, fires, cyclones and too many tragedies.”
Stone said that while Sunrise had been his “dream job”, he had decided to resign to consider the next step in his career.
‘It was a shock (for Canal Siete). But I’ve been toying with the idea for some time,” he told the Courier Mail in February 2023.
‘Sunrise is your dream job… watching TV for breakfast is addictive and engaging, but it also comes with an alarm every day and that gets difficult.
‘At first, if I’m honest, the excitement of the dawn overcame the alarm. But the older I get and my little girl grows, that changes for me.”
The mother of three is married to Gold Coast Police Detective Mark Mooney.
