Odd tactics used for wooing the voters

The contrasting tactics adopted by the major parties contesting the seat of Narracan can certainly be seen as a little odd.

The incumbent State Labor government didn’t endorse a candidate, Christine Maxfield, until a month ago to challenge sitting Liberal member Gary Blackwood who has held it for the past 12 years.

One of Ms Maxfield’s first statements when endorsed was to try to make Narracan a “marginal” seat; that is, to reduce Mr Blackwood’s seemingly safe margin of 11.3 per cent.

That, she said, was necessary to “get things done”.

However, the ALP heavyweights have been conspicuous by their absence from campaigning in Narracan to try to claw back some of the deficit.

Over the past couple of months Premier Daniel Andrews and other State Ministers have ridden the bitumen on the Princes Freeway through the Narracan electorate to the Latrobe Valley on a number of occasions to announce spending promises – in the event of being returned to government – and back their candidate in the seat of Morwell that is marginal.

The Premier and some of the government’s other high-profile leaders’ campaign itineraries have also taken in another Gippsland electorate, Bass, where a swing of 5.5 per cent would unseat the sitting Liberal member.

The freeway off-ramps to principal Narracan towns such as Warragul, Drouin and Longwarry were missed by the cars travelling between Melbourne and the Latrobe Valley in recent weeks with passenger lists that included Mr Andrews, deputy premier and minister for education and emergency services James Merlino, industry end employment minister Ben Carroll, and the minister for energy, environment and climate change Lily D’Ambrosio.

Stakeholders in Narracan would have been keen to hear first-hand from them the government’s positions on local issues such as the campaign for a new West Gippsland hospital; the future of the local timber industry; more frequent, reliable and faster train services at peak times, and the still festering issue around Country Fire Authority volunteers.

Ms Maxfield’s defends the non-appearance of the Premier and Ministers in the Narracan campaign, stating that many of the election promises unveiled in the Latrobe Valley would also benefit Narracan.

On the other side of the coin Opposition Liberal Nationals shadow cabinet members have made several detours off the freeway to make Narracan-specific announcements after Opposition leader Matthew Guy was in Warragul to launch Mr Blackwood’s campaign several months ago.

Shadow transport minister David Davis didn’t take the freeway but travelled instead by train and other visitors on the Narracan campaign trail have included National leader and deputy Opposition leader Peter Walsh, shadow treasurer Michael O’Brien, shadow police minister Ed O’Donoghue and shadow minister for energy and resources David Southwick.

Their electorate specific promises if elected to government include the go-ahead for a new hospital on a greenfield site between Warragul and Drouin and new police and ambulance stations for Drouin.

Five candidates will contest Narracan on Saturday.

In addition to Mr Blackwood and Ms Maxfield there are The Greens’ William Hornstra and independents Guss Lambden and Carlo Ierfone.