Independent candidate has second attempt
An independent candidate from Tonimbuk that was unsuccessful in the 2018 election for the state upper house in the Eastern Victoria electorate will contest the seat again in the November election.
Vern Hughes will seek to become one of five to be elected for the region.
He said he was “pipped at the post” for the fifth position after distribution of preferences at the previous election in which he polled 5575 first preference votes from among the more than 467,000 formal votes cast.
The Australian Labor Party and Liberal/Nationals coalition each won two of the seats and the other went to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.
Mr Hughes claimed the Eastern Victoria region had not had a strong voice in parliament in the past four years.
Small businesses have been to hell and back, parents have watched the quality of schools deteriorate, roads and infrastructure have fallen away and mental health services are ineffectual, Mr Hughes stated.
He said the cost of living for families is sky-rocketing, the state’s debt is more than $167 billion, council rates in regional Victoria average $2535 on a $700,000 home while in Melbourne the figure was about $1100.
Describing himself as a community worker Mr Hughes said he had worked in non-government organisations, church agencies, co-operatives and social enterprises.
He said his policy platform was a people-centred approach to fixing problems with the state’s government.
Key messages Mr Hughes will take to the campaign are that Gippsland and Eastern Victoria deserve a fair share of services and infrastructure, the need for independent representatives in parliament, help with cost of living pressures, support for children and families and to take corruption and career politicians out of politics.