{"id":8849,"date":"2013-08-23T17:13:49","date_gmt":"2013-08-23T07:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=8849"},"modified":"2022-05-02T00:41:46","modified_gmt":"2022-05-01T14:41:46","slug":"indi-locals-are-stung-by-mirabellas-claims-on-health-centres-and-her-preferences-stir-bad-bushfire-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/indi-locals-are-stung-by-mirabellas-claims-on-health-centres-and-her-preferences-stir-bad-bushfire-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"Indi locals protest Mirabella’s claims on health centres – and her preferences stir bad bushfire memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

STOP PRESS: Katter\u00a0Party candidate backs Sophie Mirabella in Indi<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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By\u00a0Wayne Jansson<\/a><\/p>\n

August 23, 2013<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

I rang KAP Victorian spokesman Darren Cooper for comment. “If voters want to vote on federal issues, vote KAP. If they want to vote on state issues, vote for Mirabella,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The worst thing that can happen to Indi is to have an independent if there’s a coalition government,” he said.<\/p>\n

Robert Danieli, KAP’s Victorian senate candidate, said: “If you’re purely focused on local issues and you just want better roads or hospitals, the way the polls are looking it’s going to be a few seats majority to the coalition.”<\/p>\n

He explained Rourke’s thinking was ‘if you want things to improve for Indi you’d be better off with the current member because she will be in the government’.<\/p>\n

Danieli said KAP was concerned with national issues. “We’re not concerned about individual electorates. Of course we’ll do the right thing by them but we’re concerned with the big issues. Why focus on these issues that have been dreamed up over a cup of tea around a kitchen table by someone who’s totally unknown?”<\/p>\n

In the week Barnaby Joyce came to town to back Mirabella\u2019s re-election campaign in Indi, the controversial Liberal was accused of falsely claiming credit for bringing key health services to her Victorian electorate.<\/p>\n

In a recent letter to constituents, Mirabella claimed a part in setting up a youth mental health centre in Indi: “working to support the local community campaign, we successfully lobbied the CEO of Headspace, Dr Chris Tanti, for a Headspace centre right here on the Border”.<\/p>\n

But The Border Mail newspaper quoted former federal mental health minister Mark Butler as saying he\u2019d “never spoken to Sophie Mirabella about Headspace”<\/a>, and she was claiming credit for the work of others.<\/p>\n

Similarly, people who were heavily involved in pushing for the Border Regional Cancer Centre expressed shock and disappointment that Mirabella had written to constituents overstating her involvement in that campaign.\u00a0 Campaigner Marianne Warren told The Border Mail: “It wasn’t Sophie Mirabella, it was people power that got the centre”<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In another controversial move, Mirabella appears to have defied Tony Abbott (or Abbott has lied), by placing Rise Up Australia ahead of a number of candidates on her how-to-vote card, including The Greens and leading independent Cathy McGowan. Originally Abbott declared The Greens would be preferenced last in all 150 House of Representatives seats, but on Monday he backtracked, telling reporters “racist” parties “are put behind The Greens”.<\/p>\n

The Australian<\/span> reported Rise Up Australia was among the parties considered beyond the pale: “A Coalition spokeswoman today confirmed how-to-vote cards in lower-house seats where parties such as One Nation, Socialist Equity and Rise Up Australia were running wouldn’t put the Greens last.”<\/p>\n

But the Border Mail quoted Mirabella as saying the ballot ordering was \u201cdone by party headquarters\u201d.<\/p>\n

Rise Up Australia is number 6 on Mirabella\u2019s how-to-vote card.<\/p>\n

1.Sophie Mirabella, Liberal Party<\/p>\n

2.Rick Leeworthy, Family First<\/p>\n

3.Phil Rourke, Katter Australian Party<\/p>\n

4.Robert Murphy, Palmer United Party<\/p>\n

5.Jennifer Podesta, independent<\/p>\n

6.Bob Dudley, Rise Up Australia Party<\/p>\n

7.Cathy McGowan, independent<\/p>\n

8.Helma Aschenbrenner, Sex Party<\/p>\n

9.William Hayes, Bullet Train for Australia Party<\/p>\n

10. Robyn Walsh, Australian Labor Party<\/p>\n

11. Jenny O’Connor, Australian Greens<\/p>\n

Rise Up Australia leader Daniel Nalliah caused anger among people in Indi with his comments on the 2009 bushfires that devastated parts of Victoria. He was quoted in the Brisbane Times<\/a> linking the deadly fires with the practice of abortion:<\/p>\n

“In my dream I saw fire everywhere with flames burning very high and uncontrollably. With this I woke up from my dream with the interpretation as the following words came to me in a flash from the Spirit of God: that his conditional protection has been removed from the nation of Australia, in particular Victoria, for approving the slaughter of innocent children in the womb.”<\/p>\n

“People in Marysville were very, very upset” with his comments, the ALP’s Robyn Walsh told No Fibs on Tuesday. Walsh was a bushfire case manager when 60 per cent of her shire of Murrindindi was burnt out in the fires. “We can’t have somebody saying those types of things and getting away with it,” she added.<\/p>\n

In response to being placed at the bottom of the ticket, Jenny O’Connor of The Greens tweeted:<\/p>\n

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Preferenced last by Sophie Mirabella – badge of honour :) http:\/\/t.co\/vUoUfaoLev<\/a><\/p>\n

— Jenny O'Connor (@JennyJenocon) August 20, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n