Retired teacher puts hand up for upper house seat
Retired Gippsland teacher Greg Hansford, a candidate in the federal election earlier this year, will bid for a seat in state parliament in November.
Mr Hansford, who lives in the Latrobe Valley, will represent the Australian Federation Party in the election for the upper house state seat of Eastern Victoria.
In the May federal election he obtained almost 9.5 per cent of first preference votes when he stood for the One Nation party in the Gippsland electorate.
Among key issues he will campaign on are jobs losses in the region due to the abandonment by the state government of major natural resources, especially coal and timber.
Mr Hansford claimed Gippsland had already lost 14 timber mills despite construction industry timber shortages and the planned closure of the remaining power stations in the Latrobe Valley would add to an “already staggering unemployment rate of 15.3 per cent in Morwell and nine per cent in Moe-Newborough”.
Why should we export coal to other countries for their benefit when we can use it to produce cheap, reliable energy for ourselves, he said.
Mr Hansford said he was seeking support to return effective local representation in the upper house and argue for a fair share of state and federal resources to help Gippsland return to prosperity.
He has a keen interest in Walhalla having published a book on the town’s history and has served in various capacities with the Walhalla
Goldfields Railway. Following the most recent Gippsland bushfires Mr Hansford built fences for the Bairnsdale Blaze Aid effort and has also volunteered with a number of community organisations including a local Food Bank, St Vinnies and as a presenter at a community radio station.