By John Englart 4 September 2013 I was recruited by Margo to cover the election in the safe Labor seat of Wills (Seat Profile) in mid July. After writing 21 articles I suspect I have put in far more time and work than some of the candidates. We are at the point in Wills where […]
Public transport versus east-west link tollroad issue in Melbourne electorates reports @takvera
September 1, 2013
By John Englart 30 August 2013 The Victorian Government is proceeding with the East-West link tunnel tollroad which would connect up the Eastern Freeway and Alexandra Parade to Citylink severely impacting Royal Park and Moonee Ponds Creek. It is an $8 billion project with high impacts on the seat of Melbourne, but also traffic and […]
Wills Forum ends with call for compassion and decency to be reclaimed in politics reports @takvera
September 1, 2013
By John Englart 1 September 2013 The 3rd and final meet the candidates forum for Wills was hosted by the Brunswick Uniting Church on Friday night. Five candidates attended to present their policies and to take questions from a moderator and from the audience. But it was the very last response to the very last […]
Most candidates in NBN-connected Wills reckon Labor got it right: @takvera interviews
August 27, 2013
By John Englart 27 August 2013 The Wills suburb of Brunswick was the first metropolitan pilot site for Labor’s NBN in 2011. The world is changing rapidly with large movements of digital information, requiring faster internet speeds to deliver content to meet our needs (see Steve Jenkins and Lachlan Hinds article on Why is fast, […]
If threatened species could vote … Wills candidates discuss biodiversity with @takvera
August 24, 2013
By John Englart 23 August 2013 Environment and biodiversity have hardly rated a mention in this election campaign. But the election is being held on September 7, Threatened Species Day, with World Wildlife Fund Australia launching a series of television ads on the impact of climate change on the environment. Even many common plants and […]
Wills candidates agree on climate but differ on urgency and the coal menace, reports @takvera
August 23, 2013
By John Englart 22 August 2013 On a cold and rainy Monday evening in Wills, in Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs, voters gathered at the concert hall in Coburg Town Hall to hear what candidates had to say on climate and sustainability issues. The hall was full with about 140 people in attendance. Climate Action Moreland, […]
Equal Love and gay marriage law reform: Wills candidates talk to @takvera
August 20, 2013
By John Englart 18 August 2013 Gay marriage law reform, equal love, is about ending a disrciminatory practice presently enshrined in law. It would be something so easy to do and to move on to much bigger issues. Yet it lingers as an issue at another Federal election. This week Prime Minister Kevin Rudd promised […]
Sex Party’s Adrian Trajstman in Wills: @takvera interview
August 20, 2013
By John Englart 18 August 2013 As a minor party candidate in Wills, Adrian Trajstman’s main role in this election is to publicise the policies of the Australian Sex Party and to promote Fiona Patten’s Victorian Senate campaign. I caught up with Adrian at the Edinburgh Castle hotel over a drink and talked about issues […]
The ballot draw ritual: @takvera reports Wills
August 16, 2013
By John Englart 16 August 2013 At the declaration of nominations in Wills (See Seat profile), Dean O’Callaghan, running as a Save the Planet independent, drew the top spot on the ballot paper. Greens candidate Tim Read took second position, with Liberal and Labor candidates at the bottom of the ticket. Kelvin Thomson, the sitting […]
