
There are 10 candidates running for South West Coast in Saturday's Victorian election but two names on the ballot have been notably absent from the campaign.
Family First candidate Chris Brunt and James Brash Grimley from Derryn Hinch's Justice Party (DHJP) have not done any campaigning, attended any candidate debates, or made any other attempt to tell the voting public what they stand for or propose to do if elected.
The Standard managed to track down Mr Brunt's contact details through his Torquay patio business. He said he was surprised to be asked what steps he'd taken to connect with south-west voters.
Mr Brunt said he "wouldn't be surprised" if he got elected, despite not advertising, campaigning, visiting the electorate or speaking to a single voter.
He said if he did sweep to victory on Saturday he would "restructure" his business to move to the electorate. "I'd take that very seriously, if I got elected," he said. "If someone contacted me and had a local issue I would definitely look at that."
Mr Brunt said from what he'd heard, "the issues facing South West Coast are the same that everyone is facing". "I understand what the roads are like, they're terrible, nearly lost my front axle driving on a pretty main road down there," he said.
But he said his main crusade was against the Andrews Government's "radical political correctness", particularly overturning laws banning gay conversion therapy.
"I don't know what a decent family person would think of some of the radical laws that have been passed in recent years that can put you in jail," he said.
"I'm definitely a family man who wants to see society maintain family values."
Mr Brunt said he wasn't "of the political class" and didn't "have a spreadsheet of issues to address" but was committed to the Family First policies, which include "protecting girls' and women's sport from... biological males", "(abolishing) anti-vilification and anti-discrimination laws", and "(advocating) the public to fall in love again with unborn babies" to make abortion a thing of the past.
Liberal incumbent Roma Britnell has preferenced Mr Brunt second on her how-to-vote card and Mr Brunt has put Ms Britnell second on his own card.
The Standard was unable to reach DHJP candidate James Brash Grimley, however it is understood Mr Grimley - a relative of state DHJP leader Stuart Grimley - was listed as a dummy candidate in order to facilitate upper house preference deals, which fell apart when 'preference whisperer' Glenn Druery was double-crossed in preference negotiations by the Animal Justice Party.
But because the deals fell apart two days after lower house nominations closed, it was impossible to withdraw Mr Grimley from the race.

Ben Silvester
Reporter covering politics, environment and health
Reporter covering politics, environment and health