General News
23 November, 2022
Meet your South West Coast candidates for this election
VICTORIANS will head to the ballot box this weekend to cast their votes in the 2022 Victorian election.
VICTORIANS will head to the ballot box this weekend to cast their votes in the 2022 Victorian election.
As part of our election coverage, WD News has offered the opportunity to all candidates in South West Coast to take part in our candidate questionnaire.
Candidates are listed in ballot order and given the opportunity to communicate their views and positions to our readers.
For the South West Coast district, which is expected to come down to the wire, seven of the 10 candidates responded to our questionnaire.
Voting centres will open on Election Day, Saturday, November 26, from 8am to 6pm.
What would you like to tell voters about yourself?
James Purcell, Independent: As the former Member for Western Victoria from 2014-2018 I have a proven track record of getting things done.
I secured more than $150 million for our region during my four years at Parliament, including funding for the Warrnambool rail line, $288,000 for Portland’s Hanlon Park lights, $500,000 for the Portland energy project and $7 million for the Reid Oval. I am also proud of securing a permanent ban on fracking, raising the stamp duty exemption for country first home buyers and gaining government support for the Great South Coast Suicide Prevention Strategy.
I am born and bred locally (raised in Bessiebelle and educated at Heywood) so understand the needs of our region. I was the Director of Business and Tourism at the Moyne Shire and have been a Moyne Shire councillor for eight years.
I have maintained strong relationships with the government and am ready to hit the ground running.
Jim Doukas, Independent: I am a lifelong resident of this region with a long history of standing up for our farmers, agricultural and marginalised communities.
I believe in equal access to education, health, transport and other critical infrastructure for all.
I have strong country values and believe our roads need to be fixed and maintained, and country people need to be appreciated and cared for before big business and international corporations.
We need to fight for and protect our country’s assets and never lose sight of the traditional country values our country was built on.
I believe in and will fight for continued access to public land for recreation, protection of our CFA, accountability for councils and government and protection of our farmers and agriculture industry from diseases such as foot and mouth.
Michael McCluskey, Independent: Born and raised in Warrnambool I have extensive experience in agriculture and also the sciences.
Initially I worked on a dairy farm at Kolora. After this I worked in the federal public service as an employment officer.
Eventually I returned to university to train as a veterinarian, servicing the dairy, beef, sheep and horse industries. I also pursued extra study with units in economics, psychology and law.
I have put my hand up at this election as I hold a frustration with the way our political system operates.
The quote “A statesperson thinks about the next generation while a politician thinks about the next election” rings true.
Running as an Independent allows me to speak from my ‘head and heart’ without being constrained by the directives of a party which often have less to do with the good of the community, and more to do with the good of the party.
Carol Altmann, Independent: I’m an independent journalist, born and raised in Warrnambool, who returned to the South-West Coast in 2013 after a long newspaper career reporting on politics and local issues in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
Through my reporting as The Terrier, I have given my community, a strong and effective voice, and I’ve been able to create real change.
Most recently, my lengthy investigation into Lyndoch Living aged care and the May Noonan Centre in Terang exposed catastrophic cultural, governance and safety issues and saved our two beloved aged care homes from almost certain collapse.
I also exposed the abuse of credit cards within the Warrnambool City Council, leading to a formal report by the Victorian Ombudsman.
I stand up for my community without fear or favour and, if elected, I will bring the same tenacity, energy, impartiality and commitment to my role as your voice for South West Coast.
Kylie Gaston, Labor: I have lived in south west Victoria for the past 18 years after returning from France with my husband and two daughters.
It has been a wonderful place to raise a family.
We have run several successful small businesses and I served on Warrnambool City Council for eight years with two terms as mayor.
I currently work in Foster Care with Brophy Family and Youth Services and am a board director with Wannon Water and Food Share.
I love being a member of many local groups and getting things done for our region.
Thomas Campbell, Greens: I’m 30 years old. I’m committed to fighting for a better present and a brighter future.
I honestly believe that rural and regional Australia needs a champion in the State
Parliament and I joined the Greens because I believe they are well placed to be that voice.
Roma Britnell, Liberal: Raised and educated in Hawkesdale and Warrnambool, I was first elected as member for South West Coast in the October 2015 by-election.
I am also Shadow Minister for Ports and Freight and Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs.
Before politics I was a registered nurse working in public hospitals and community health.
I also ran a successful farming business.
I was the 2009 Australian and Victorian Rural Woman of the Year, a Nuffield Scholar, a former vice president of the United Dairy Farmers of Victoria and a past chair of WestVic Dairy.
I have served on boards including the Gardiner Foundation, Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, Australian Dairy Farmers and school councils.
I am a passionate advocate for regional growth and business expansion by improving regional infrastructure.
A mother of four and grandmother of three, I look forward to continuing to be a strong voice for South West Coast.
What are the biggest challengesfacing the district?
James Purcell, Independent: The two biggest issues facing our community are the state of our roads and the cost of living.
Roads have been an ongoing problem for decades and the current system of repair is simply not working.
The rising cost of living, from groceries to diesel, is impacting all voters.
Jim Doukas, Independent: The two biggest issues facing our area are the road network and insufficient government support for our farmers and agriculture as a whole.
Many of our roads are crumbling and we are not getting our fair share of the funding pie. Everyone deserves to drive on safe roads – irrespective of where you live – and regional Victoria should be receiving more funding to fix them.
Our country was built on agriculture and it is one of the most important sectors we have here in regional Victoria.
Expenses and regulations are rising, creating challenges for the industry that need to be offset.
Michael McCluskey, Independent:
• Delayed access to healthcare;
• Inadequate levels of road funding plus just as importantly use of flawed construction techniques or materials;
• Cost of housing and insufficient levels of supply;
• Cost of living increases coupled with rising interest rates;
• Disillusionment with party politics and scarcity of integrity; and
• Rising levels of violence.
Carol Altmann, Independent: The ongoing poor condition of our roads is high on the list. We want to see our roads repaired properly, rather than constant patch jobs.
For many years we have heard promises of more funding to fix the roads, but not seeing any permanent improvement.
Second, access to health services. This includes addressing the GP shortage in rural areas and building a regional drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre to service the south west.
Equally as important is access to mental health support services, including prevention, early intervention and timely treatment, particularly for our remote farming communities.
We should not be disadvantaged by living in a rural area when it comes to accessing health services.
Finally, sustaining our smaller towns to ensure they continue to grow as young people move away from the traditional family farms and leave the district to pursue their careers.
Many people I spoke to said they feared our smaller towns are struggling.
Kylie Gaston, Labor: I believe we tend to suffer from the tyranny of distance in the south west and need stronger representation at the table of government.
Our region supplies a third of dairy product for our nation and deserve better roads.
I have door knocked a lot of Terang and heard from virtually everyone about the state of the roads.
People are worried, for good reason, and I want to put the urgent repair of our roads front and centre if elected.
Thomas Campbell, Greens: Rising energy prices, a state government that is too city centric in its funding and its priorities, and a lack of investment in roads and healthcare.
Roma Britnell, Liberal: The biggest challenges facing South West Coast are the combined impact of a dilapidated road network and a terminal health system.
I worked in public health for many years and sadly I no longer recognise this sector.
Under Labor’s watch our health system has been run into the ground and its dedicated staff are at their wits end.
Labor has lied to us about the funding of our health services.
There are fewer people answering the 000 ambulance calls than two years ago and even the Productivity Commission has noted that Victoria receives less funding than any other state.
South West Coast has Victoria’s worst roads.
The road conditions impact all of us from the school bus run to a trip to the shops for the weekly shop.
Our roads are dangerous.
Labor slashed road maintenance funding by $215 million since 2020, and anyone who drives our roads can tell.
If elected, how do you plan on addressing these challenges?
James Purcell, Independent: The Princes Highway needs to be concreted to avoid the constant cycle of damage and repair that is happening now.
We deserve a safe and solid road network and changing the Princes Highway road material to concrete is the first step in making this happen.
Regarding the cost of living, if elected I will fight for a diesel subsidy for farmers and regional businesses, which will reduce the cost of operating and in turn the cost of goods and services locally.
Freight costs are exceptionally high at the moment, something we are all paying for at the supermarket, the corner store, the local ag shop – virtually everywhere.
Driving down these costs is essential.
I will also work with the government to reduce the cost of essential services, such as electricity, and ensure any changes to the structure of the electricity network have financial benefits for the residents of south-west Victoria.
Jim Doukas, Independent: Firstly, by sourcing more ongoing funding for the road network from the government.
We need a greater slice of the funding pie, and at least our share to stop the damage that keeps occurring.
There are potholes large enough for people to stand in and it’s just not good enough – we need safe roads and more government funding on an ongoing basis to make this happen.
Our agriculture sector needs more financial support and less red tape, which I will be fighting for if I am elected.
We need three-phase power throughout the district, greater investment to protect the industry against threats such as Foot and Mouth Disease, subsidies to offset – or reductions in – the cost of fertiliser, diesel and other running costs.
We need to remove the guidelines that hamstring the industry, excessive amounts of red tape and replace these with support to see our agriculture sector grow.
Michael McCluskey, Independent: Prioritising funding towards key areas is vitally important.
Just as a wise family focuses their finances on the important areas first such as food, education, housing, healthcare etc, so too do we need people in politics who will do the same.
It’s pointless funding fancy projects if we haven’t looked after the basic essentials first.
Just as crucial is reducing bureaucratic wastage and ineptitude which includes flawed contracts for road construction.
As an example the two major parties wasted over one billion dollars at the last election between them with the failed East-West Link project.
This money alone could have given gas/electricity bill relief for those in need for at least the next three-to-four years.
Carol Altmann, Independent: We need a designated Rural Roads Minister. No more quick fixes and false promises, but a bi-partisan, long-term strategy including a well-funded, regular maintenance schedule.
A designated minister would be directly accountable to the community.
I would also lobby for a long-overdue upgrade to the rail freight network, so we can remove thousands of trucks from our roads.
With health, I support a rural training model, which means GPs and other medical specialists are trained in the country and stay in the country.
I would also lobby for “The Lookout” drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre to be funded immediately and ensure promised funding for mental health services like “Let’s Talk” is also provided.
On revitalising our communities, I believe renewable energy, and the associated job opportunities, will prove a game changer but our communities must be fully supported, informed and rewarded as we transition to this new economy.
Kylie Gaston, Labor: We need to do a thorough audit of which roads and materials are holding up to the La Nina weather conditions.
The Andrews Labor government has doubled the regional roads budget but it is not enough – we are better off to invest more quality products and construction so our roads are built to last.
Thomas Campbell, Greens: On energy prices we could immediately bring in a public retail option for households to subscribe to.
It’s the first step in removing the for-profit nature of the large energy companies that control the grid, and instead charge electricity at cost price.
Long term we need to get more solar panels on rooftops, and invest in renewable energy projects across the state to get more energy into the grid and bring down prices.
Roma Britnell, Liberal: The Liberals are committed to maintaining health services in regional Victoria, which means ensuring our hospitals are adequately funded and able to function.
The Liberals guarantee that there will be local people on hospital boards to make sure that the community’s voice is heard.
The Liberals will fix the health crisis by shelving the $35 billion Cheltenham to Box Hill rail line and injecting every cent into our health system.
The Liberals will allocate $1 billion a year for road maintenance over 10 years to ensure that our roads are finally fit for purpose.
The Liberals will conduct an audit of all VicRoads managed roads within six months of forming government.
The Liberals will review Victoria’s construction and maintenance standards and increase accountability for VicRoads and contractors.
Completing the upgrade of the Maroona to Portland freight line will further improve our road network by removing around 68,000 truck trips annually.
What core policies are you running on?
James Purcell, Independent:
• Concrete Princess Highway rather than continual repairs;
• Upgrade Terang-Mortlake Health and Portland Hospital;
• Upgrade facilities, ovals, lights and female change rooms at football and netball clubs across the region;
• Diesel subsidy for farmers and regional businesses;
• Install roofs over five district bowling greens;
• Fund the Lookout Centre;
• Support all racing codes and jumps racing;
• Upgrade Koroit’s main street;
• Seal the entire Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail;
• Great tasting water in Port Fairy, Portland and Heywood; and
• Funding projects and programs identified by local communities.
Jim Doukas, Independent:
• Greater funding for regional roads;
• Equal access to education, health, transport and other critical infrastructure;
• Protection of Australia’s assets;
• Continuing access to public land for recreation;
• Protection of our CFA;
• Accountability for councils and government; and
• Protection of our farmers and agriculture industry from diseases such as foot and mouth.
Michael McCluskey, Independent: Health care – timely access to care is vital.
The cost to the community of delayed care outweighs funding the system properly in the first place.
Education – access to education is a key determinant of our economic and social well being.
Whether a trade, technical, university or other creative pathway we need to maximise access to education.
Transport – an efficient rail system along with quality roads are sorely needed. Increasing rail for freight transport is also crucial.
Violence – violence, in particular against children and women, eats at the heart of our social fabric. Doing more to combat this is critical.
Climate science – The health of our planet is vital. There is little doubt our ‘leaders’ have let us down regarding greenhouse gas emissions.
Agricultural sustainability, energy harvesting and water security are also areas that need more people in politics who will strongly advocate listening to the science in these fields.
Carol Altmann, Independent: As an independent, I have platforms rather than party policies and the first is integrity.
I believe our community has lost trust in the major parties due to multiple scandals and broken promises and are looking to leaders who will act for them and only for them.
We need much greater transparency, accountability and honesty across all levels of government to stamp out corruption, backroom deals and ripping off the public purse.
I am also committed to a renewable energy future and support the Climate Council’s target of zero emissions by 2035 and no new gas exploration on shore or offshore, which is a regressive, backward step.
Another core platform is to always act in the best interests of our community, outside of any party affiliation.
Together, we can the lobby for the services and supports that we need.
Kylie Gaston, Labor: I am running as the Labor candidate to drive down the cost of living for the people of Terang.
Candidate questionnaire continued...
• V/Line fares will be capped to the same rate as Melbourne. $9.20 for a day ticket, $4.60 with concession.
• Labor is bringing in free three and four year-old kinder which will save the average family $2500 per child, per year.
• Apprentices will have free annual car registration.
• Nursing studies are free at Deakin and TAFE.
• Substantial scholarships are available for those wishing to study child care – so we can have more child care places and more women who wish to, can return to work.
• Government-owned renewable energy with the SEC will drive down power bills and the $250 Power Saving Bonus and Solar Homes battery rebates will help families save on their energy bills.
• Sick pay will be guaranteed for casual workers.
Thomas Campbell, Greens: Integrity: we need to expand the powers of our state’s anti-corruption body, all ministers need to publicly show their diaries and what lobbyists they meet with (as is done in other states) and we need a legislated code of conduct for members of Parliament so that they are actually held to a standard when representing the public in the Parliament.
Energy: Speed up investment in the transition to 100 per cent renewables, and invest in public ownership so that we’re no longer gouged with fees by large energy companies.
Roma Britnell, Liberal: Providing real solutions to all Victorians is at the core of my campaign.
Our roads are dangerous and in need of repair.
Our roads are in this condition not because Victoria lacks the technology to repair the roads, they are in this condition because Labor has lacked the will.
The Liberals will appropriately fund VicRoads, accurately monitor construction costs and hold contractors to account for their work.
Things Labor has not done.
Victoria’s public health system is an emaciated skeleton of its former self, held together by dedicated staff who have been run into the ground by a negligent Labor government.
The Liberals will revive our health system to ensure that it meets the needs of our communities.
The Liberals will fund this fix by shelving the $35 billion Cheltenham to Box Hill rail line and every cent will be put into our health system.
Why should readers vote for you?
James Purcell, Independent: I have a proven track record of achieving for our community. I sourced more than $150 million in funding for our region during my last term in government between 2014 and 2018 and have maintained strong relationships with the government so am ready to hit the ground running.
I was born and bred locally so understand the needs of our region and am passionate about getting what we need and what we deserve.
Vote 1 James Purcell for honest, independent representation and a proven track record of getting results for our community.
Jim Doukas, Independent: I will give a voice to our regional communities and fight for what is fair and right.
I will fight for and protect our country’s assets and never lose sight of the traditional country values Australia was built on.
I will fight for the government to support infrastructure like regional roads and the Warrnambool saleyards.
I have extensive Local Government experience as a Moyne Shire councillor so understand the workings of government and will fight everyday for our area to receive positive attention and support from the elected government.
Michael McCluskey, Independent: I never tell people who they should or shouldn’t vote for, myself included.
This is why I don’t do preference deals.
I want people to choose who they see fit to represent them rather than be dictated to by me.
I do believe my diverse experience and background makes me an ideal candidate.
I have worked both in private industry and also the public service.
This along with my agricultural and science background and ability to focus on the bigger picture when it comes to problem solving is what we need in government.
Currently we have too many career-focused politicians who are happy to make decisions that do more to enhance their own prospects than that of the community.
Carol Altmann, Independent: We have been overlooked for too long and don’t get anywhere near our fair share of attention and investment because for 20 years we’ve been considered a safe seat that neither party needs to win, to win government.
The only way to change this is to vote independent, so that we’re no longer taken for granted by the major parties.
I am a true independent, who has not done any slippery preference deals with any party, because the community is my party.
If elected, I will act from the power of the crossbench rather than be ignored in opposition and no matter who is elected to government, I will hold them to account to ensure their promises are delivered and we get the very best deal for the south-west.
You can see my track record as a community advocate and independent journalist: I can deliver and I won’t let you down.
Kylie Gaston, Labor: I believe everyone should have a fair go and be encouraged to succeed.
I enjoy working hard and building relationships to get things done.
If elected I will work tirelessly for the people living in and near Terang.
Thomas Campbell, Greens: There are some who argue that people should vote strategically, make our seat more marginal and hopefully attract more funding from whoever forms government.
I’m a strong believer in the idea that people should always vote their values.
If you value sustainability, if you value government working for the public good instead of operating in the pockets of large businesses, if you value decentralising our state so all investment and infrastructure doesn’t just get sucked into the money pit of Melbourne, I would encourage you to vote Green.
Roma Britnell, Liberal: Labor has governed Victoria for 19 of the last 23 years.
Their legacy speaks for itself: a road network that is no longer fit for purpose and a health system on its knees.
Victorians deserve better.
Labor have borrowed from our children and grandchildren and wracked up more debt than New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania combined.
This is simply unsustainable.
The Liberals offer Victoria real solutions to the mess that Labor have created.
A vote for an independent is a vote for Labor and we know that Victoria cannot afford another four years of Labor.
Victoria needs a change of government and South West Coast deserves a person who will have a seat at the decision making table.
I am that person.
A vote for Roma Britnell is a vote for a strong voice for South West Coast and for real solutions for Victoria.
