THE Nationals are prepared to concede a significant head start to their rivals in Indi and may not have a candidate in place until October.
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Indi MP Cathy McGowan has already entered campaign mode as have her Liberal predecessor Sophie Mirabella and Labor candidate Eric Kerr.
The Nationals are contesting Indi for the first time since 2001, but are still to confirm when pre-selection will start.
Nationals state director Jenny Hammett said her party wasn’t spooked by speculation of an early election and would confirm a candidate on its terms.
The party has a scheduled board meeting on July 17 when a decision on what seats the Nationals will conduct pre-selections could be announced.
“We haven’t made any decisions around what date we might look at pre-selections,” she said.
“Unlike the media reports going on at the moment we don’t believe the election will be held this year.
“We are taking our time to look at the entire situation and work it out accordingly.”
The Nationals will hold a similar pre-selection ballot to the Liberals last weekend when Mrs Mirabella won the support of branch members to be the Indi candidate ahead of Kevin Ekendahl and Andrew Walpole.
Delegates have to be a member for at least 14 months to be eligible to vote.
But interestingly a candidate only needs to be a financial member to stand for pre-selection.
Potential pre-selection contender Marty Corboy was recently elected to the party’s board of management and maybe forced to declare a conflict of interest at the upcoming board member if pre-selection is on the agenda.
Ms Hammett said the Nationals would be fully prepared when a candidate was in place.
“Cathy McGowan is the sitting member and naturally she is looking to get moving,” she said.
“When we do select our candidate they will run a hard campaign.
“I am not concerned we don’t have someone at this point in time.
“We will have someone in the field when we think it is the right time.”
The Nationals last held the seat of Indi in the mid-1970s when former Collingwood footballer and Wangaratta Magpies four-time premiership coach Mac Holten was the local member.
They hold the local state seats of Ovens Valley and Euroa.