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Independents deliver when in government or their effectiveness is vastly over-rated and just pushback against major parties?
What is beyond dispute is the rise up of independent candidates in North-East Victoria for next month’s state election with two independents taking on long-serving Liberal Bill Tilley in Benambra and another challenging National Tim McCurdy in Ovens Valley.
Indi MP Cathy McGowan was the trail blazer in this part of the world and depending on the result of the Wentworth byelection on Saturday her importance to the Scott Morrison-led Coalition government could become even more critical to ensuring stable government if such a thing still exists in Canberra.
Tammy Atkins and Jacqui Hawkins were part of two successful McGowan campaigns in 2013 and 2016 and are standing as independents in Ovens Valley and Benambra respectively.
The other independent in Benambra, Jenny O’Connor, has fought and lost a state election campaign before against Mr Tilley as a Greens candidate, but has cut all ties with the party.
Ms Hawkins is having her first crack at an election as is Ms Atkins,but she previously worked for former member for Indi, Liberal Sophie Mirabella and then joined the Nationals and unsuccessfully stood for Nationals preselection when Ken Jasper retired as the member for Murray Valley which changed to Ovens Valley before the last election.
Ms O’Connor is the present mayor of Indigo Shire and Ms Atkins also had a brief time in local government as a member of the sacked Wangaratta Council in 2013 with one of her former sparring partners, Dr Julian Fidge, also contesting the election to add another layer of spice to the contest.
They are also drawing inspiration from Suzanna Sheed’s results as an independent in the former Nationals stronghold of Shepparton in the last four years.
“As we’ve seen with Suzanna in Shepparton the huge investment after years of neglect and with $600 million can you imagine what that would mean for Wodonga and Benambra?” Ms O’Connor said.
“By making it marginal and putting an independent in, even if it’s for only one term, I think it re-sets the whole political view of that seat.”
But Ms O’Connor also admits she was over party politics and staying involved with the Greens would have been counter-productive in her role as Indigo mayor.
“I am dealing with politicians, state and federal, left and right, and it was really obvious if I wasn’t part of the party it opened doors,” she said.
“But I was also just sick of it.”
Ms O’Connor has enlisted the services of another key player in Ms McGowan’s last two election campaigns, Cam Klose, as her campaign manager.
“Of course if I don’t win I will be very disappointed, but I do believe the seat will have to become more marginal,” she said.
“There has never been a serious contest in Benambra so whatever the outcome we are going to win.”
Aside from his first election win in 2006, Mr Tilley has always attracted more than 50 per cent of the primary vote and holds the seat with a 15.9 per cent margin.
He is respectful of his political opponents this time around, but his view is marginal electorates swing between major party candidates, not major parties and independents.
Mr Tilley also holds the view the Indi changing of the guard was a personality-based battle between Ms McGowan and Mrs Mirabella rather than a re-writing of the election handbook by Voices For Indi.
“We’ve got two independents in Benambra out there demanding change, but change to what?” he said.
“Also, what can they do and what can they deliver are questions I’d like people to ask those candidates between now and election day.
“But we do live in a democracy and people are more than entitled to run at elections.
“It’s not about me.”
Ms Hawkins said the proliferation of independents, particularly in the North-East, was democracy in action.
“The myth has been debunked about what independents can and can’t do,” she said.
“People really want to see change and they want someone who stands up for the community first and not the party.
“Federally we’ve seen the power of independents whether that is through the Nick Xenophon Team, Rebekha Sharkie, Cathy McGowan, who have been able to put conversations on the agenda and push some real change.”
Ms Atkins said the 2013 Indi campaign was a turning point for North-East politics.
“We’ve reached almost peak party politics and North-East Victoria through what Voices For Indi started has been able to find its way to breakthrough to put the community back in politics,” she said.
“Change looks like our electorate Ovens Valley getting noticed, getting the resources and infrastructure it needs.
“The trains and the Yarrawonga-Mulwala bridge are some of the many examples where party politics gets in the way.
“If we are able to have independent representation at the end of next month I’m going to be able to work with whoever the premier is, whoever the minister is and get rid of some of those unnecessary layers of party political bureaucracy that has been knitted around us.”
Wangaratta mayor Ken Clarke said the increasing presence of independents in the North-East might serve as a wake-up call to the major parties, but tangible, obvious results on the ground in Wangaratta were questionable.
“I don’t believe the independents have got the push or the power to give us any more money,” he said.
“Certainly Cathy has got a few (mobile phone towers), but apart from that she hasn’t done much else to get us any substantial money.”
His claim was rejected by Ms McGowan.
“This year Indi received a $235 million funding commitment to upgrade the North-East rail line with works to begin early next year.
“In July this year, $4.4 million was awarded for a new aquatics facility in Wangaratta and in August, Wangaratta Turf Club received $2.4 million in funding for its upgrade project.
“During my first term, more than $410 million in funding flowed to Indi.”
Mr McCurdy agreed with Cr Clarke in terms of what the Indi MP had truly achieved and believed Victorian Senator and Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie had done more in securing the funding for the North-East railway line.
“As an independent she hasn’t been able to achieve infrastructure whether it is development at a high school, hospital, those sorts of crucial things,” he said.
“I’m surprised why Tammy Atkins is doing her damndest to keep herself removed from Cathy and is trying to link up with Suzanna.
“But Tammy is clearly Voices For Indi, same campaign manager (Cam Klose), same colours.”
Cr Clarke said the only option for Wangaratta voters outside Mr McCurdy was two sacked councillors unless Labor announced a candidate at the last minute.
“It will be a disaster I think as I don’t know whether either of them are up to the job,” he said.
“They couldn’t work together as councillors so how is one of them going to work with other people in a government.”
Ms Atkins said Wangaratta residents would have their own views of events which led to the council’s sacking.
“The one key thing I learnt and got to understand intimately from that time is how little engagement we have with the government,” she said.
Dr Fidge, who is standing for the Country Party, said the disenchantment with major parties was real.
“Women in particular are sick of the male chauvinistic garbage that goes on in parliament and are very keen to find a woman to vote for,” he said.
“The Liberals have obviously left a vacuum in female representation so there is a perfect storm.”
He said with Ms Atkins also in the election race voters would definitely cast their minds back to when both were on Wangaratta Council.
“Some people think I was responsible for council being sacked,” he said.
“But some people see through that and realise Tammy was the destabilising influence in what actually happened.”
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