Wave of support for independents
Listening and talking to people is the key to community engagement, and the primary reason there has been a groundswell in support for community independents in recent elections, according to Cathy McGowan AO.
Ms McGowan, the woman widely credited with the modern movement of independents, attended as guest speaker at the campaign rally for the independent candidate for Monash Deb Leonard last week.
Speaking at the Warragul Country Club in support of Deb Leonard, Ms McGowan said that there is a growing wave of support around rural and regional communities to assist candidates who are not tied to the major parties.
“Here in Monash, Deb Leonard gives the electorate a genuine alternative to the major parties. She is courageous, committed, intelligent, and above all a good listener,” Ms McGowan said.
“Monash is similar in many ways to the electorate of Indi which I had the pleasure of representing for six years from 2013. It is a largely rural electorate made up of some significant urban centres but also containing many smaller rural communities.
“The major parties tend to take seats that aren't marginal for granted.
“If your electorate needs more than five per cent of the vote to change hands – as Monash does – then these electorates do not receive same level of funding as the small number of marginal seats that always seem to be the recipients of the grand promises.
“Winning is a state of mind. People need to believe that
there is an alternative the status quo, and when they do, it will build a level of excitement across the electorate not seen for decades.
“If the communities across the Monash electorate get behind Deb over the next 3 weeks, then the people of Monash can shake the political establishment to the core,” Ms McGowan said.