
The battle for the seat of Wannon is shaping up as an at least six-way contest with Australia set to go to the polls on May 21.
Six candidates have already thrown their hat into the ring so far for the six-week election campaign which was officially called by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday.
Liberal Party MP Dan Tehan - the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment - has held the seat since 2010.
At the 2019 election, after squaring off with four other candidates, he received 51.11 per cent of the primary vote - a swing towards him of 0.69 per cent. On two-party preferred, he took 60.38 per cent of the vote.
Mr Tehan was already out on the campaign trail on Sunday and said voters were looking for a very clear plan for the future to address cost of living pressures while make sure jobs growth stayed strong.
He said they would continue to support small businesses and farmers, and get extra funding for roads and rail.
Mr Tehan said it was time for the state government to pull its finger out and take action on fixing the Princes Highway between Port Fairy and Warrnambool which the federal government had poured $60 million into at the last election.

But Labor Party candidate Gilbert Wilson said that after 67 years as a Liberal stronghold, it was time for an historic vote with the electorate in desperate need of change.
He was out on the campaign trail on Sunday visiting the newer areas of the electorate that had been added in a recent realignment of the boundaries to take in parts of the surf coast.
"I've been focusing on the newer area that are disappointed that they're now been placed into Wannon," he said.
Mr Wilson said climate change was going to be the biggest topic of the campaign, but the return of manufacturing to Australia was also key.

She said the deficit, cost of living and inflation were the big issues for the electorate along with healthcare and education.
Ms Mead said the party wanted to make the recent cut to the fuel excise a permanent thing.

She said housing affordability was the big talking point right across the electorate.
"One thing that is very close to my heart, and the hearts of many, was taking action on climate change," she said.
"The past few elections have been climate elections but for me, and for many others, this feels like the time this will really come to the fore."

Mr Kensen said people across the electorate were sick of the vaccine mandates and, even though that was mostly a state government rule, voters were upset with the federal government because it didn't step in to put a stop to it.
He said the rising debt was also a big concern for voters.
"It's going to be an election like we've never seen before. There's a lot of players, and a lot of independents out there," he said.

Mr Dyson - who gained 10.35 per cent of the vote in 2019 - said people were relieved the election had been called.
One of the major issues was the housing affordability crisis, he said, as well as climate change and integrity.
Mr Dyson said people were concerned politicians weren't listening to the people.
"It's a basic human right to be able to have a roof over your head. I really want to make that a priority for the independent campaign," he said.
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