Those elected with support of a political party are also expected to participate in party activities.

The role of a backbencher is to support their constituents’ interests; lobby on their behalf, make representations to ministers and champion causes and needs in their communities.

They are the voice for their regions. 

Yet, often during election campaigns, hopeful candidates forget that role and forget to do the listening.

They get busy preaching party policy, engaging in verbal wars with their opponents and commanding their voices be heard.

As the daily newspaper servicing central Victoria, we will be monitoring our coverage in the coming weeks to ensure we capture what people in our region want and expect from their representatives. 

And we will give as many towns as possible the chance to have their say on what matters to them, and why.

Elected representatives provide a direct link between their communities and the parliament, and we want to ensure whomever represents central Victoria in the next parliament can give our the region the voice it deserves.

Towns such as Heathcote need strong representation, and someone in a position of power to not only listen, but care and take action.

Like many small towns, there are positives in Heathcote – grass roots leadership is at its best in small communities where volunteers are the backbone. Often, too much is left to too few and the task becomes too big.

The reality for many small towns is that issues of unemployment, the rising cost of living, childcare, transport and importantly access to education are escalating and trapping people into generational poverty.

These towns and the people living in them, matter.

They deserve the same level of attention as those living in major regional centres.

Nicole Ferrie, editor