Bacchus Marsh sheep farmer Mark Farrell will run as the region’s lead DLP candidate with a record number of candidates and parties contesting Western Victoria.

Twenty-nine candidates so far have entered the race representing 14 different parties with south-west voters likely to contend with extra-long ballot papers.

Mr Farrell said the DLP was a “small business party” and claimed Labor was dominated by trade unions and the Liberal Party by big business.

“Both the unions and big business are all well and good, but small business is the backbone of this country,” he said. 

“Smaller enterprise doesn’t get much of a say.  Farmers know that all too well, given the way Coles and Woolworths treat us.” Mr Farrell said his party held up Warrnambool textiles baron Sir Fletcher Jones as an economic visionary. He said Sir Fletcher’s employer-shareholder philosophy was under-appreciated by political and business figures.

The DLP announced last month it had arranged a preference bloc with religious parties Rise Up Australia and Australian Christians, with the DLP given priority in the Western Victoria region.