RELATED: Window of opportunity
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RELATED: Why is Wannon a safe Liberal seat?
Voters need to be fearless by embracing change rather than sticking with to tradition, Labor’s Wannon candidate Mick Barling says.
Mr Barling said communities in the electorate had missed out on services and funding because of the safe nature of the seat.
“I’ve got a lot of regard for Dan (Tehan),” Mr Barling said.
“I find him to be a personable bloke who actually will try the best for his community, but the methods and the priorities that the Liberal Party have aren’t the best thing for our community.”
He said that because Wannon was a safe seat Mr Tehan had been “gifted” it by the Liberal Party, meaning he would put the party before the community.
Mr Barling said during the last 70 years many progressive federal policies had been implemented by Labor governments.
He cited examples including post-war migration, universal health care, access to university, no-fault divorce laws and floating the dollar.
“We haven’t been fearless in Wannon for 60 years,” Mr Barling said.
“All those great changes which we’ve taken advantage of, in terms of Medicare and superannuation guarantees and all those sort of things, we’ve had no say in those things because we’ve voted the other way.
“When I look at it big picture-wise, you don’t grow by thinking small.
“You grow by challenging yourself and being fearless.”
Mr Barling compared the north-eastern part of the electorate around Ararat, which has had state Labor representatives in the past, and said they had better roads and services as a result.
The Greens’ Thomas Campbell said regardless of how safe the seat was, people still appreciated the opportunity to vote for an array of parties.
“It’s also another way of saying ‘we’re never going to give up – we’re going to keep on fighting for as long as it takes’,” he said.
“If you just let a single MP run in their safe seat and there’s never any competition then democracy would probably be a bit stagnant.”
Independent Michael McCluskey said he had been inspired to enter politics out of frustration to encourage independent thinking.
"We have a very strong short term poll-driven mentality that dominates the political landscape,” he said.
“Until we have more people in politics, particularly from a science background, who can do the bigger intergenerational thinking, our children and grandchildren are not going to get the environment they need to achieve their economic and social potentials."
Independent Bernardine Atkinson has said she was tired of bickering and short-term thinking in politics, and that the constitution should be changed to allow a long-term council of governors to be elected.