Labor candidate for the federal seat of Bendigo Lisa Chesters wore a red dress, the hall was filled with red balloons and people sported red shirts with the slogan ‘I’m Supporting Lisa Chesters and Labor’.

More than 300 people attended the event which included a free sausage sizzle and live music.

Voices were raised as Ms Chesters led the crowd in a chant.

“Can we do it?” she asked as she addressed her supporters from the stage.

“Yes we can!” the crowd shouted back.

Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan was master of ceremonies and said she had great faith in Ms Chesters.

“We’re already seen from her own hard work what a difference Lisa will make here in our community,” she said.

“We know that Lisa will be Bendigo’s person in Canberra.

“And how do we know this? It’s because of her hard work that we’ve already seen.

“We’ve seen her stand up for what she believes in . Lisa certainly hasn’t been hiding behind the big bucks of an advertising campaign.

“She’s been out there listening and talking, being prepared to talk to people about whatever issues they might have.

“And this is exactly the sort of person that Bendigo needs in Canberra.”

Ms Chesters said it was great to see so many people at the campaign launch.

“I am so excited and so proud to be here today,” she said on Saturday.

“I was out door knocking this morning and talking about education and it’s these conversations every day that keep me going.

“One in 12 of our kids aren’t meeting the minimum standards for reading and writing.

“What happens to them when they finish school?  That’s one of the reasons we’re Labor and we’re standing together.

“In the last 12 months, since I was pre-selected, we’ve worked together to build this campaign from the ground up.

“We are doing what we do in the Labor movement and that is building a movement, building Labor, getting out there and making sure that everyone in this electorate knows what that stands for, what we need and why we need a strong voice to represent this community in Canberra.”