THE Indi Liberals’ preselection with five confirmed starters will be held on December 8 as the party attempts to recover from the state election bloodbath at the next federal poll due next year.
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Already confirmed contenders, Steve Martin and Stephen Brooks, have been joined by Wodonga’s Sheridan Leonard, Euroa’s Dustin Perry and former preselection contender Andrew Walpole.
The preselection will be held at Wangaratta High School with Greg Mirabella, the husband of former member for Indi, Sophie, a non-starter.
Mrs Mirabella was the Indi MP up until 2013 and beat Mr Walpole and Kevin Ekendahl at the preselection held in the lead-up to the 2016 poll.
Mr Perry came to prominence a year ago when he penned an open letter to former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pleading the case for more funding for brain cancer research.
Mr Perry’s nine-year-old daughter Chloe has been diagnosed with brain cancer.
The Liberals will be the first major party to have a candidate in the Indi race with Coalition partner, the Nationals, expected to hold a preselection in February.
Senator Bridget McKenzie hasn’t ruled out a switch to the lower house and run for the Nationals in Indi.
Ms McGowan has not confirmed whether she will be seeking a third term and the Nationals have February tentatively booked in for their preselection.
Ms McGowan has started “succession planning”, but a potential Voice for Indi replacement, Tammy Atkins, suffered a blow in the state seat of Ovens Valley on Saturday.
With 81 per cent of first preference votes counted, Ms Atkins hasn’t overtaken Labor candidate Kate Doyle, who was only a confirmed starter just before nominations closed.
Despite the major distraction of a fraud case, Nationals’ Tim McCurdy is poised to be returned with 15,179 votes or 45.26 per cent.
Ms Doyle has 6704 votes and leads Ms Atkins on 6660.
In Benambra, the two independents also trail the Labor candidate, Mark Tait.
With 80 per cent of first preference votes counted, Liberal Bill Tilley leads with 15,079 from Mr Tait 6591, followed by Ms Hawkins on 6277 and fellow independent Jenny O’Connor on 4832.
Futher south in Eildon, another Voice for Indi independent Michelle Dunscombe polled just 5.38 per cent of the votes counted to date.
Her 1651 votes is behind Greens’ candidate, Ken Deacon, on 2986.
Liberal Cindy McLeish will retain the seat.
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