PREMIER Daniel Andrews says he is “not particularly concerned” that Labor is yet to field candidates in 12 regional Victorian seats, despite the election being just five months away.
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The Coalition holds 11 of the seats by strong margins, including Murray Plains, which takes in the towns of Rochester, Boort, Echuca, Kerang and Swan Hill.
Labor is also yet to name a candidate in the independent-held seat of Shepparton.
The Premier has previously been critical of the Liberal Party’s apparent delay in naming a candidate for Bendigo East, and the ongoing lack of any Coalition candidate for Bendigo West.
In April, he said the lack of Liberal candidates in the Bendigo seats sent a “very clear message” that the party does not “take Bendigo that seriously”.
Despite this, Mr Andrews was adamant that pre-selection matters in regional seats were under control for the Labor Party and there were more important matters to consider.
“There are pre-selection processes that are still to be concluded, they will be, I am not particularly concerned about that,” he said.
“What I am concerned about is to make sure that the people of Bendigo continue to have a very strong team who work hard and get things done.”
Liberal Party financial issues were believed to be behind the delay in announcing a candidate for Bendigo West, which Labor holds by a margin of 12 per cent.
Liberal Party candidate for Bendigo East Ian Ellis said there was a double standard at play from the Premier.
“If no announcement as yet for a Liberal candidate for Bendigo West means the Liberal Party doesn't care for rural voters, what does Labor's failure of announcing candidates for 12 regional seats reflect?” he said.