Strongly held seats taken for ‘granted’
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.
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 independent candidate for Monash, Deb Leonard, last month.
Ms McGowan was the Member for Indi from 2013 until she retired in 2019.
The seat had previously been held by the Liberals for more than 30 years – from 1977 to 2013.
Speaking at the Warragul Country Club in support of Deb Leonard, Ms McGowan said there was 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,” Ms McGowan said.
“If your electorate needs more than 5 per cent of the vote to change hands – as Monash does – then these electorates do not receive [the] 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 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 three weeks, then the people of Monash can shake the political establishment to the core.”
The federal election is on Saturday, May 21. Early voting centres open Monday, May 9.
