Reporting Indi: A reflection by Margo Kingston

[clear] By Margo Kingston, 1 December 2013 I take the Gold Coast train to Brisbane airport, the plane to Melbourne, the sky bus to Southern Cross Station, the train to Seymour, and the bus to Wangaratta train station. Wayne Jansson leads me to his battered old car and drives me to the hamlet of St James. […]

The reckoning of Indi: What took so long?

by Tom Anderson September 18, 2013 “The ballot being a means of protecting the franchise, must not be made an instrument to defeat it.” “Where the intention is clear, doubtful questions of form should be resolved in favour of the franchise.” “The language of the Act read as a whole and in favour of the […]

Sophie’s desperate choice: Indi booths blanketed with negative ads, heavies on guard

[clear] By Wayne Jansson September 7, 2013 In what can only be seen as a desperate act, Sophie Mirabella’s early Friday night took almost all available space at polling booths for Liberal posters. Reworded: The failed record of SM will only continue. Don't risk another 3 years of misrepresentation #indivotes pic.twitter.com/K6YFjjIPB0 — JACK SEYMOUR (@thejackseymour) […]

The mood of Indi’s grassroots politics might reflect a nation, documentary makers say

by Tom Anderson September 5, 2013 I became aware of a film crew in Indi earlier this week when they visited the pre-polling booth in Wodonga to interview and film the loyal band of volunteers (including myself) manning the booth and handing out How to Vote cards on behalf of candidates. Members of the independent […]

Riding the #Indivotes high: @TomAnderson62 campaign update

  By Tom Anderson, 2 September, 2013 Back on August 16 I made my debut as a Citizen Journalist when Margo published my first ever piece of writing after I live-tweeted for the first time an Indi candidates forum. I ended with: “Tonight I became involved in local grass roots politics. I got engaged in […]

Wangaratta goes wild for democracy: @Jansant reports hot #Indivotes forum

By Wayne Jansson 30 August 2013 STOP PRESS: The Coalition is looking increasingly shaky from rural Australia as former National Party MP Ken Jasper publicly pledges his support for Independent candidate for Indi Cathy McGowan. Jasper was recently seen showing McGowan around at a local football match.McGowan placed an advertisement in the Border Mail today, […]

Indi locals protest Mirabella’s claims on health centres – and her preferences stir bad bushfire memories

STOP PRESS: Katter Party candidate backs Sophie Mirabella in Indi By Wayne Jansson August 23, 2013 Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) candidate in Indi, Phil Rourke, caused a storm on Friday when The Border Mail reported he urged voters concerned with local issues to make Liberal incumbent Sophie Mirabella their first choice, even before him. I rang KAP […]

Mirabella in front, but McGowan claims support from all camps: @jansant #Indivotes update

By Wayne Jansson, !8 August, 2013 The contest for Indi hit the national media this week with a hint of friction in Liberal-National coalition ranks, as reports emerged of National Party members being involved in independent Cathy McGowan’s push to unseat the Liberals’ Sophie Mirabella. “I’m getting support right across the political spectrum in Indi,” […]

‘The night I got politically engaged’: How @TomAnderson62 found himself live tweeting #Indivotes

By Tom Anderson @TomAnderson62 I have always been fascinated with politics, especially elections. I guess that started when I worked as a ‘Polling Clerk’ at 15 at a booth at Mont Park in Macleod back in about 1977. How did a 15 year old get a job that had a prerequisite of ‘must be enrolled on electoral […]

McGowan a close friend of Tim Fischer, but denies she’s Indi’s National Party front

By Wayne Jansson, 16 August, 2013 The Voice4Indi candidate Cathy McGowan has hit back at claims by unnamed Liberal sources that she is a front for the National Party in Indi, saying she has support across the political spectrum. Ms McGowan acknowledged she was a close friend of Mr Tim Fischer, a former National Party […]