During Tuesday night’s candidates’ forum, hosted by the Committee for Greater Shepparton and The News, each of the candidates had one minute to introduce themselves and say why they were running.
Nine of the 11 candidates were in attendance at the event, which was hosted by the committee’s chief executive Lindy Nieuwenhuizen and News chief correspondent Darren Linton.
In alphabetical order, here are the candidates for the seat of Nicholls and — in their own words — why they want to represent you in Canberra for the next three years.
Sam Birrell, The Nationals
I grew up in the heart of the electorate of Nicholls. I’ve worked in agricultural science locally and internationally, and more recently, I was the CEO of a Committee for Greater Shepparton. At the last election in 2019, I was actually the person hosting this, so it’s interesting to be on the other side.
I’m running because I want to deliver for Nicholls, and with the experience I’ve had in that job (as chair of the committee) and in other roles, I believe that the best way to deliver for this region is to have an engaged National Party member in a coalition government.
Politics sort of divided itself into two categories — the people who want to be something that people would want to do something, and I’m here to get things done.
A great example already is at the regional political health school that we announced this morning almost $20 million for the collaboration between Goulburn Valley Health and Latrobe University.
It’s a game changer for the region and increases the future pool about our health staff. It happened because in part I got my National Party ministers to fund it and you can expect more of the same if I’m elected as a member of Nicholls.
Steve Brooks, The Liberals
I’m standing because I’m passionate about our community. I’ve listened to you and this is the community that I was born in, that I live and work in and that I will eventually retire in.
As a farmer I get water and I get agriculture. As a teacher, I understand how important it is to support families, aged care, child care, addressing the cost of living pressures that have been talked about on dinner tables across Nicholls.
As a businessman, I too want to see our member of Parliament, whoever is fighting, for infrastructure, and being able to deliver on the issues of labour shortages.
But you’re not just choosing me because of my experience or the motivation for being here. I hope that you’re choosing someone who can actually deliver just like Sharman Stone did for 20 years as the liberal member here, just like we did as a coalition government, we delivered 20 million bucks for a clinical health school just today (on Tuesday).
It’s about experience, motivation and a capacity to deliver.
Ian Christoe, The Greens
I’m standing for The Greens. I’m standing here because I believe that we have a long future, a long and difficult future ahead of us if we keep doing the things that we’re doing currently.
As a farmer I have been taught, and believe in looking after land such that when you leave that property, it’s in a better state than was when you arrived.
I think we should be trading our planet and our society in the same way. I don’t want to see future generations facing catastrophic climate change.
I want to see future generations having an environment with healthy rivers, and I want to say social justice where everyone gets a good education. It’s access to dental care as well as medical care.
Jeff Davy, Australian Citizens’ Party
I’m standing for this party because it is the only party that has the National Development Bank and the National Infrastructure Bank and the public post office bank in its policies.
We are committed to the principles of Alexander Hamilton who was the first United States treasury secretary and there’s a play on in Melbourne about his life at the a moment.
He was unique in history because he enshrined in the American Constitution that America had to be run as a credit with the Constitution, but it’s only been used several times, only few times in history.
We’ve also got a public post office bank (policy), the same as what the original Commonwealth Bank was.
You don’t have to look around too far to see how things are going. With the state government now heading for debt, every government entity heading for debt, then a credit system is the only way that we are going to get out of it.
Bill Lodwick, Labor
I don’t think it has to be a three-cornered race and with some very good voting you could make Labor win this one. Last time we got 30,000 votes and with the distributions you never know what might happen.
So I encourage you all to vote Labor not just give up on this because 30,000 people put their hearts in this last time and they are the only party who’s gonna take care of the bottom levels of what needs to be done in this society.
The government might say the economy is booming, but there are a lot of people out there for whom it is not booming at all. They’re struggling every day.
There’s a long list of who’s big and many of you probably know them — people on low wages, people with insecure work, people who can’t afford to live close enough to work because there’s no housing available. All these problems have to be dealt with at the bottom and that’s why I’m running.
Andrea Otto, Fusion Party
I am running for the fusion party, which is a group of parties that come together with a range of policies that offer future solutions to the grave issues we find before us.
I love this country. I love the rivers and our unique lifestyle.
But I’ve seen changes in my 30 years here here that are really concerning.
There’s been a real reduction in our wildlife, in our forests, and that’s caused by us people. We need to stop land clearing, we need to declare a climate emergency and I congratulate the youth of Shepparton and the council for putting that to the table, congratulations to you.
Many of the issues that we find in front of us brought on by successive governments being too too busy influenced by political donations, industry lobbyists and major corporations ignoring us.
Rob Peterson, United Australia Party
I’ve been a GP of 40 years and I’m here because knowing what I know I couldn’t look my grandkids in the eye by not putting my hand up.
Our country’s on the edge of a cliff. Our government has failed us. We will remove mandates, lockdowns and passports that have destroyed us economically, psychologically and socially and will regain our freedoms of which 100,000 gave their lives for.
We have addressed the following in our policies: $1 trillion debt to be paid off by a 15 per cent iron ore tax, rising cost of living and interest rates protecting homeowners from default by a three per cent mortgage cap.
We will protect young, growing rural communities with a 20 per cent reduction in tax for people living in towns 200km from the cities; $1 trillion super funds invested back into Australia.
Water rights for users only in the Bradfield scheme, $180 per fortnight for pensioners, free TAFE and universities removal and HECS ensure and secure affordable energy and a Bill of Rights. The major parties have failed us.
Rob Priestly, independent
Nicholls is the safest conservative seat in Victoria. One side of politics doesn’t try here because they know they can’t win. The other side of politics is busy and focused on marginal seats elsewhere and distracted from our needs here.
And that results in us not getting our fair share of services, infrastructure and attention.
And I’m running as an independent because I want to change that.
Last night I got an email from someone running an aged-care facility in this community who is devastated by what is going on with the care of residents in her home.
Our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles in this community. This government needs a shake because we need the services and infrastructure in our community here.
I know about opportunity. I’ve built a good company here. I want to get on and bring that opportunity to the rest of the community. But we need a partnership with a government that’s interested in this part of the world and I’m going to make that happen.
Rikki Tyrrell, One Nation
I am the One Nation candidate for the seat of Nicholls. I live in Invergordon with my husband and I have two young children. My husband manages a dairy farm and I am his handy little assistant when he needs.
I have stayed with One Nation since the last election to establish a platform for voters to vote for with my party and Victoria offering an alternative to the major parties.
I am standing strong on water, energy, immigration, reducing the cost of living and remedying our housing crisis through sensible policy. I offer you integrity, honesty, tenacity, to fight for what is best for Australia.
Tim Laird and Eleonor Tabone
The two candidates who were not at the event were Tim Laird of the Liberal Democrats and Eleonor Tabone of the Australian Federation Party.
Mr Laird, who is listed as unemployed on the Australian Electoral Commission website, was born and raised in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
For more than a decade, Mr Laird has been a devoted volunteer in a variety of community youth programs for sport, church, personal development, and at-risk youth. He has worked in the software and broadcasting industries.
Ms Tabone, a teacher, is the final new candidate. She is representing the Australian Federation Party, which had no details on the candidate listed on its web page.