THE prospect of the Greens having the balance of power after this month's election has prompted Colac district dairy farmer Grant Beale to stand as an independent in the Senate.
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Mr Beale, 47, said he was concerned the Greens would impose some of their "extreme views" if they gained the balance of power.
"I hope to take votes away from the Greens," he said.
"They want to lock up the oceans, next it will be the lakes. With farming, they reckon some of the things we do are cruel to animals. They do not want us spraying for weeds.
"We want a practical approach."
Mr Beale, who drove logging trucks for many years before taking up dairy farming at Beeac, north of Colac, said he also supported a sustainable logging industry.
"It scares me that the Greens will get the balance of power. They will be running the country," he said.
Mr Beale said he was standing for the Senate because he believed he had a better chance of getting elected in the upper house than in the House of Representatives.
"It's either Liberal or Labor here (in the Corangamite electorate).
"I do not think I would crack into that."
Mr Beale earlier this year was part of the successful campaign to overturn the federal government's ban on recreational fishing for mako sharks.
"I was the local voice for overturning that ban," Mr Beale said.
He previously stood as a candidate for Colac Otway Shire in 2008 and while unsuccessful, he said the experience had encouraged him to stand at a higher level.
"I had a lot of people approach me and reckon I should go a step further."
Mr Beale said politics interested him because he was often annoyed at the actions of government.
Married with six children, Mr Beale said he also wanted more funding for health and education.
He was also concerned at the big deficit the Labor government had racked up.
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Both of the major parties had promised more funding for health and education but he doubted they would follow through.
"Both the Liberal and Labor leaders are saying they are going to wipe out this deficit by 2012-2013 but none of them have stated where the money is coming from.
"The only way I can see is that it will be done through increased taxes on the average worker."
Mr Beale said he was not discouraged at being a small voice by standing as an Independent.
"It's a good way to get attention to issues," he said.
