TWO people, possibly more, have nominated at the weekend to challenge veteran Monash MP Russell Broadbent at Liberal preselection later in the year.
Among them are our own South Gippsland Shire Council Mayor Cr Nathan Hersey.
Cr Hersey confirmed he would nominate to oppose Mr Broadbent at preselection, on the sidelines of the Australian Local Government Association National Assembly last Thursday.
He did so only hours after the former Executive Director for the Committee for Gippsland, Mary Aldred, had confirmed her hat was in the ring to take over as Liberal candidate.
However, speaking to the Sentinel-Times, Cr Hersey said he could not make comment other than to confirm he too was standing.
The news that there will be a contest between Liberal nominees in Monash comes as something of a surprise given Mr Broadbent’s resilience and record of success at the ballot box, and the parlous state of the party.
Since first standing for election in 1984 and 1987, in the old seat of Streeton (Croydon to Healesville), Mr Broadbent has won nine out of 13, elections and is one of the longest-serving MPs in the Australian Parliament.
Although Mr Broadbent told the Sentinel-Times this week he was unable to comment on preselection due to party rules, local Liberal members say he is determined to stand again, and to fight off the challengers at preselection in October/November this year.
Despite not being able to comment however, Mr Broadbent must have had elections and candidates on his mind last Wednesday, June 14 when he rose to speak in support of a condolence motion offered by Tony Burke MP and Paul Fletcher MP for the late, great musician and multi-award-winning songwriter Joy McKean OAM, long-time collaborator and life partner of Slim Dusty.
“There is always more to the story,” he said, himself a "jumpsuit-wearing singer” of show band The Trutones back in the 1970s.
“There was a young Labor candidate named Duncan Kerr in Tasmania who was trying to find a way to make himself electable and different, so he could win this seat that was most difficult for him to win.
“So, he decided to go to Slim Dusty and ask him if he could use one of their songs in his campaign. That song was 'I Love to Have a Beer with Duncan'. That became a part of his campaign.
“Duncan won that election because there were lots of people that decided they would like to have a beer with Duncan.”
The next Federal election is likely to be held in 2025.
A respected professional, Mary Aldred, who is head of government relations for Asia Pacific at Fujitsu and the daughter of former federal MP Ken Aldred, has long held ambitions to enter the Australian Parliament.
Graduating with a Master of Business Administration from Federation University Gippsland in 2018, she has also completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours), a Master of Agribusiness, and is a graduate of the Gippsland Community Leadership Program.
A former advisor to the Hon Greg Hunt MP, Minister for Health, among others over a period of 10 years, Nathan Hersey has also made no secret of his political ambitions, and like many before him, entered local government in part at least to test his mettle as an elected representative of his local community.
So, voters of Monash; would you like to have a beer with Russell, Nathan, Mary or someone else, when the next election rolls around in 2025.
