PORTLAND’S Darrell Morrison will sound out controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as he campaigns for a Senate seat in next month’s federal elections.
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The 50-year-old newspaper marketing manager is running as an independent on a platform of “respect for all” and a passion to give regional communities more clout in Canberra.
Assange is one of three WikiLeaks Party candidates for the Senate’s Victorian allocation.
“I need to talk to his (Assange’s) people to learn more about his policies,” Mr Morrison told The Standard yesterday. “I’d be a fool if I didn’t.
“One thing Assange will do is raise the profile of the Senate.”
Mr Morrison said he held no allegiances to any political party.
“I was a Young Liberal as a teenager, but have since voted for all types of political candidates and handed out how-to-vote cards for independent Ralph Leutton at the last federal election,” he said. “I think the party system is broke.
“I admire what the independents have done in recent years. They have acted responsibly.
“We need people with the ability to retain commonsense.
“No one in my family has been in politics before. Dad was a wharfie and Mum was a waitress.”
Mr Morrison’s previous tilt at public life was two years on Portland City Council before his term was cut short by amalgamation.
He has no plans to issue how-to-vote cards. Instead, he will rely on social media and word-of-mouth.
Family members and friends are helping him gather the required 100-plus signatures by August 15 to officially nominate.
“I chose not to run for the House of Representatives because I don’t have the money for that type of campaign and because that race may become personal,” Mr Morrison said.
“I’d rather represent Victoria in the Senate and try to make a significant difference to regional areas.
“The squeaky wheel gets the oil and country wheels need to squeak a bit more.”
His policies include decentralisation, more rail freight, better roll-out of high-speed broadband, marriage choice including same-sex unions, taxation reform, leaner bureaucracies and unified laws.
“If we are to be taken seriously on the global stage and the UN, we need to address the imbalance and obvious lack of respect evident in society and politics,” he said.
