Local field takes on Narracan
As the state election draws closer, Narracan voters will have two community forums to familiarise themselves with candidates and help decide who they will vote for.
by Aidan Knight
As the state election draws closer, Narracan voters will have two community forums to familiarise themselves with candidates and help decide who they will vote for.
Six candidates are confirmed for Narracan in the November 28 election, with candidate nominations closing on November 9.
The candidates include incumbent Wayne Farnham (Liberal), Jannette Langley (Labor), Ben Lucas (One Nation), Alyssa Weaver (Greens), Moss Page (Victorian Socialist) and Geoff Dethlefs (Family First).
In a very locally based campaign, all candidates live in Drouin, except Mr Farnham who lives in Warragul.
Key issues impacting regional voters were highlighted last week at the Victoria Unites rally at Parliament House.
At the rally, protestors demonstrated their opposition to:
• the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund (ESFV)
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
• Potholes and the state of Victoria’s roads
Construction of a new West Gippsland Hospital may be a deciding factor for which
party many Narracan constituents cast their vote.
Two candidate forums will help locals decide on their preferred candidate.
The first forum will be held at 7pm next Tuesday, October 20, at the Drouin Anglican Church, facilitated by the combined fellowship of Drouin’s Anglican, Presbyterian, and Christian churches. The event is one of 40 held at various electorates throughout the state registered through the MeetYourCandidate platform.
On October 27, community advocate for the Eastern Victoria region (and former
Freedom Party Narracan candidate) Leonie Blackwell is holding a forum at the Warragul Downtowner from 7.30pm.
Candidates will introduce themselves and their key policies for the electorate, before audience members are given the chance to submit questions via the virtual Slido platform. All six confirmed candidates have committed to attending. A moderator will select questions from the public and manage balance between each candidate.
Changes also are expected in the upper house this year.
One Nation candidate for Eastern Victoria Greg Hansford withdrew due to serious health concerns earlier in the month, long-serving Labor member (and former
minister) Harriet Shing will retire at the election, and according to unconfirmed reports, her counterpart for Eastern Victoria Tom McIntosh is facing the possibility of a swap with Finance Minister Enver Erdogan, who currently represents the Northern Metro region which Labor is projected to lose.
Sitting Liberal Member for Eastern Victoria Renee Heath leads the Coalition ticket
seeking to retain another term in Eastern Victoria, followed by The Nationals’ sitting member Melina Bath and the Liberal’s Matt Green of Warragul.
