Australian Christians hopeful Alan Barron, 65, is the most recent contender for the ultra-marginal south-west electorate. 

The former tax worker from the Geelong suburb of Grovedale is no stranger to a campaign, having run with both the Reverend Fred Nile’s Christian Democratic Labor Party and the Democratic Labor Party in previous state and federal elections. 

Mr Barron told The Standard his decision to again run for office was spurred on by the Ford factory closure in Geelong and hardships faced by south-west farmers. 

“Farmers and small businesses have been done over by both Liberal and Labor governments because of free trade practices,” Mr Barron said. 

The Australian Christians were formed late last year and have close links with the Christian Democratic Party. 

The party promotes itself as pushing Christian values it says are coming under attack from federal policies. 

Mr Barron said the threats were “subtle and indirect” citing anti-discrimination laws. 

“I’ve always had an interest in defending Christian morality in a political sense,” he said. 

“We’re pro-marriage. We support traditional marriage between a man and a woman.” 

Mr Barron said he was also opposed to abortion. 

According to their website, Australian Christians support raising the drinking age to 21, making prostitution illegal and censoring the media to target pornography and violence. 

Mr Barron said he was a member of the Australian Climate Sceptics group, saying the science on climate change “was not done and dusted”. 

“I think global warming is the biggest con of the 20th century. Carbon dioxide is not heating the Earth ... the polar ice caps are not melting and there are no rising sea levels,” Mr Barron said. 

There are now seven candidates contesting Corangamite from the major and smaller parties.