Bridget McKenzie would have struggled to overcome the Coalition’s internal issues to win the lower house seat of Indi, according to independent candidate Helen Haines.
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It came after months of speculation she would challenge for the seat to be vacated by MP Cathy McGowan.
Dr Haines, the Voices for Indi “orange candidate”, said the Coalition’s poor record in regional Victoria would count against candidates.
“Probably Senator McKenzie has realised that like many other Liberal-National candidates around the country, they’ve got the challenge in front of them. They have to defend a government that has been plagued by leadership changes, they’ve been plagued by scandal,” she said.
“I think Senator McKenzie would have had a very tough job to defend that.”
But she did agree with the senator’s comments that a Nationals candidate should be local to the region.
“They should be a local person because this electorate really doesn’t take kindly to candidates being parachuted in,” Dr Haines said.
Labor’s Indi candidate Eric Kerr said it was still possible Senator McKenzie could run for Indi in the future.
“I still think that she’s playing the long game, not the short game. I think she’s still having some thoughts about it,” he said.
“It doesn’t really change anything for us, we’re going to keep going about our business. The problems that we have with the National Party won’t change from one representative to another.”
Liberal candidate Steve Martin said it would be an advantage for him to work alongside Senator McKenzie if he was elected.
“It’s great for the people of Indi that we know we’ll definitely have a senator based in Wodonga for the next at least three years and I’ll look to work really strongly with her,” he said.
Ms McGowan said no matter who the candidates are, the parties needed to have a vision for rural and regional Australia because the election will not be about personalities.
“While I’m disappointed that Bridget won’t be standing in Indi, because she would have brought that strong policy perspective, we’ll be looking at whoever the candidate is for their policy position,” she said.
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