MEMBER for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy’s line-up of election rivals is poised to include two old sparring partners from the 2013 sacked Wangaratta Council in Julian Fidge and Tammy Atkins.
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Dr Fidge has been endorsed as the candidate for the Country Party of Australia and the electorate was buzzing on Monday with speculation about Ms Atkins, a prominent figure within the Voices for Indi movement, also entering the race.
Repeated attempts to contact Ms Atkins for comment were unsuccessful, but the Nationals are convinced she will be going up against Mr McCurdy, who is due to return to court over fraud allegations.
“I’m a strong supporter of democracy,” Mr McCurdy said.
“It will be boring if there is only one of us, but she will have to contend with Julian Fidge again which she had to with the council situation a few years ago.
“Julian has certainly made his intentions clear he is going to run again.”
Adding more spice to the race if, as expected, Ms Atkins does stand is the fact she stood for Nationals pre-selection in 2009 to replace the retiring Ken Jasper in Murray Valley which Mr McCurdy won.
The pre-selection included two other members of the Wangaratta Council dismissed by the former Coalition government in Victoria.
They were Don Joyce and Rozi Parisotto, who finished runner-up to Mr McCurdy.
Ms Atkins, who quit the Nationals in 2015, assisted federal independent Cathy McGowan claim Indi from Liberal Sophie Mirabella two years earlier.
She also previously worked for Mrs Mirabella, who also lost the 2016 election to Ms McGowan.
Along with her work for Voices for Indi, Ms Atkins is also a consultant and board member at Wodonga TAFE.
Dr Fidge said he was surprised about Ms Atkins potentially standing in Ovens Valley.
“Tammy wrote multiple, unfounded complaints to the minister, none of which amounted to anything in the end,” he said.
“I believe it was her constant, unfounded complaining that persuaded the minister to sack Wangaratta Council.
"The amazing thing is that people continue to fall for candidates like Tammy, even though they have no policies and no idea of what the electorate actually needs."
Labor has not announced a candidate in Ovens Valley and other North-East seats, Benambra and Euroa, to date.