THE Greens candidate for Bendigo has yet to be finalised, but the party is optimistic about its chances of securing the seat.
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About 20 members gathered in Bendigo on Saturday to prepare for the election campaign ahead.
“This election, for us, has just got so much potential,” Senator Janet Rice said in her guest speech.
She said the scene was set for campaigning around climate chance, with extreme weather events highlighting the perils of further inaction.
“There is a groundswell of support in the community for action on climate,” Ms Rice said.
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She said the passage of the so-called ‘Medevac’ bill in parliament last week also demonstrated the people’s desire for Australia to adopt a more humane approach to refugees.
Ms Rice said the past week in politics gave supporters a taste of what parliament could be like if the Greens had greater representation after the election.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is adamant Australians will go to the polls in May, after the budget.
Ms Rice was in Bendigo campaigning for not only her seat in the senate. She was also raising support for Greens to run for the seat of Bendigo, where the pre-selection process is still underway.
“Bendigo is a really important seat for us,” Ms Rice said.
She said Bendigo had a larger Greens vote than the state average.
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The organiser of Saturday’s event, Bendigo Greens member Dr Robert Holian, said the majority of the community’s values were in line with the party’s values.
“Even if they don’t really know it yet,” he said.
He believed climate change would be the issue of most importance to the electorate, followed by social issues like housing, and health issues.
About 100 active Greens members live in the division of Bendigo, by Dr Holian’s estimation.
He said there had been quite a lot of interest in pre-selection, but capacity to contest an election was a factor for many would-be candidates already leading busy lives.
The party’s member base is also recovering from November’s state election, in which Nakita Thomson ran for Bendigo East.
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