Wills candidates agree on climate but differ on urgency and the coal menace, reports @takvera

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

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

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 Greens face in Wills: @takvera interview

By  John Englart 17 August 2013 The Greens achieved 20 per cent of the vote in Wills in 2010, four percent less than the Liberal Party. They are hoping to improve on this result this time, although it may be a tough ask given the national mood and the polarisation of the electorate. Dr Tim […]

The ballot draw ritual: @takvera reports Wills

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 […]

Economy, education and climate are key issues, says Wills Labor MP Kelvin Thomson

14 August 2013 Wills Labor MP Kelvin Thomson identifies economic stability, education and climate change as key issues and outlines his background as a defender of the local environment, in an interview with Wills citizen journalist John Englart. Kelvin has been the member for Wills (See Seat profile) in Melbourne’s north since 1996. He has a legal background, […]

Socialists launch election campaign in Wills and Corio: @takvera reports

By John Englart 11 August 2013 Socialist activists launched their election campaign on Saturday night in support of candidates in two ‘safe’ Labor seats in Victoria: Margarita Windisch in Wills, based on Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs, and Sue Bull in Corio centred on the regional city of Geelong. The electorate of Wills (See Seat profile) […]

Ready to go on @NoFibs Election13 citizen journo seat reports

by Margo Kingston 4 August 2013 Nearly fifteen years ago, when I was a political journalist in Canberra, I tried to get posted to Bourke to report rural and Aboriginal affairs from the outside in. Now I’ll be covering the 2013 election from the Gold Coast with 20 plus reporters on the ground in seats around […]