Warren Truss and John Forrest at the Wimmera Machinery Field Days. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
THE federal election race is ramping up with Lydia Senior announcing her campaign to ‘Make Mallee Marginal’.
The Lower Murray Medicare Local CEO confirmed she accepted preselection as the Labor Party candidate for the seat of Mallee in September’s federal election.
Former Victorian Farmers Federation president Andrew Broad is also vying for the seat that will be vacated by long serving Nationals MP John Forrest.
Mr Broad, a farmer from Bridgewater, has been nominated for the Nationals preselection.
Ms Senior emphasised the need for change after 63 years of Nationals representation and 20 years with the same member in the seat.
“Over the past couple of years I have been listening to the mood of the community who have been expressing considerable dissatisfaction with the lack of leadership across a whole range of issues from health to education and agriculture,” she said.
“I feel the time has come to grasp this opportunity for a fresh start working closely with those people who genuinely want to have our region front and centre of funding opportunities.
“I have heard from many that our region needs to become a marginal seat in order to attract more funding and I could not agree more.
“You only need to look at the current situation in Rooty Hill with both sides of politics falling over themselves with huge promises of billions of dollars in order to win votes in seats that only have a couple of percentage points either way in the polls.
“Now wouldn’t it be nice to be in that boat?”
Ms Senior lives in Irymple, just outside of Mildura and will be asking for donations from the community to enable her to communicate policy priorities and ideas.
“It is with the big picture in mind that I now challenge the status quo and ask the community to think long and hard about what they want for themselves and their children moving forward,” she said.
“It is time for the apathy to end regarding not having a credible alternative choice at the polling station on September 14.”
