{"id":9888,"date":"2013-09-06T19:35:50","date_gmt":"2013-09-06T09:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=9888"},"modified":"2022-05-02T00:31:16","modified_gmt":"2022-05-01T14:31:16","slug":"will-discontent-2013-give-way-new-hope-dunkley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/will-discontent-2013-give-way-new-hope-dunkley\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the discontent of 2013 give way to new hope in Dunkley?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Seaford-Pier\"

Seaford Pier<\/p><\/div>\n

by Angus Barnes<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

September 6, 2013<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The only candidates\u2019 forum held in Dunkley revealed a shared sense of dismay in the community on the eastern shore of Port Phillip Bay.<\/p>\n

I asked the six candidates attending the forum what would be foremost in voters\u2019 minds on election day.<\/p>\n

The two independents said they were running because of personal disillusionment, while our sitting member Bruce Billson said he was disillusioned with the current government.<\/p>\n

Rise Up Australia Party candidate Yvonne Gentle suggested there would be more protest votes this year. \u00a0Sex Party candidate Eloise Palmi said a greater voice was needed for small parties\u2019 views, and Family First\u2019s Cameron Eastman said there was lots of dissatisfaction and anger.<\/p>\n

I noted to myself: is this the election of disillusionment?\u00a0 And if so, what does this mean for Dunkley?<\/p>\n

The Labor candidate Sonya Kilkenny did not attend the forum but sent her apologies.\u00a0 Catching up with her later, I found she read the mood the same way.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeedback I\u2019ve got \u2026 it\u2019s too long, we need someone new, Dunkley has been neglected,\u201d she said, referring to Billson\u2019s holding the seat for 17 years.<\/p>\n

She said she believed her campaign slogan \u201ca fresh face\u201d had gained traction.\u00a0 Indeed, Billson got a laugh at the forum when he said he thought his face was still fairly fresh.<\/p>\n

Kilkenny says she has seen positive changes in Dunkley since she moved here in 2007 but the region has great potential for more.\u00a0 She is peddling a vision of a \u201cmore vibrant, productive, and inclusive community\u201d.<\/p>\n

Each of the four candidates I interviewed had a great sense of commitment to the electorate, and no lack of diversity in their views.<\/p>\n

The other three have had strong connections with Dunkley all their lives, and all represent views from very different points of the political spectrum.<\/p>\n

Sex Party candidate, Eloise Palmi, who went to high school in Dunkley, says the region is starting to get the \u201caesthetics of a vibrant cultural hub\u201d, such as the Frankston foreshore development.<\/p>\n

Palmi joined the Sex Party because she agreed with many of its policies, particularly on education issues, and she works for an adult retail industry association.<\/p>\n

She noted the Sex Party had a same-sex marriage and an inquiry into child abuse on its platform at the last election – two issues that have since gained traction in mainstream party politics.\u00a0 Small parties can thus highlight issues which otherwise might not be discussed in the political arena.<\/p>\n

It is interesting, then, to consider the Rise Up Australia Party (RUAP), which appears to have been inspired, in part, by the founder\u2019s long-running legal conflict with an Islamic group over freedom of speech issues.<\/p>\n

Dunkley had fewer than 700 people who identified as Muslims in the last census, and RUAP\u2019s candidate Yvonne Gentle concedes her platform (\u201cAustralia is in danger\u201d), is more of a national one than a local one.<\/p>\n

Gentle is Victorian State President for RUAP and has struggled to find time to dedicate to her own campaign while she has been supporting other Victorian candidates.\u00a0 A seasoned traveller, she says it was during a trip to Israel she met the founder of RUAP.\u00a0 She speaks passionately about the region where she lives and works, \u201ca cross between the city and the country\u201d, and says there\u2019s a need to educate people in Dunkley about changes in Australia to maintain \u201cAustralian culture\u201d.<\/p>\n

Bruce Billson has lived in Dunkley all his life, and has strong ties to the community.\u00a0 He is passionate about the region – \u201clots to like, delicious possibilities\u201d – and sees his party as the best one for realising people\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

His campaign was launched by John Howard, a supporter in his early political life, and he has maintained a shadow ministry role since the 2007 election.\u00a0\u00a0 He is considered likely to take up the minister of small business role should the Coalition be elected, a portfolio that will be elevated to cabinet.\u00a0 He feels \u201cthe Labor Party only shows an interest in Dunkley when the polls say they should\u201d and says a key role will be to restore confidence in the competence of government.<\/p>\n

Although this campaign has been relatively controversy-free, Billson said political life could take a toll personally. He had an issue with a bogus website a couple of elections ago, but the website\u2019s<\/a> strongest personal criticism of him seems to be his love of a media opportunity.\u00a0 He certainly has been the most visible of all candidates around Dunkley in terms of signage.<\/p>\n

Kilkenny\u2019s campaign has been marked by a less visible approach, and she spoke of much door knocking and many phone calls.\u00a0 She, too, has suffered from a website co-opting her name for anti-Labor advertising<\/a>, which appears to have be established by someone who has business dealings with Liberal Party members.<\/p>\n

While much has been made of the Murdoch media\u2019s position nationally, the Murdoch-owned regional newspaper, \u00a0the Frankston Leader, has covered the campaign in a minor, but balanced way.<\/p>\n

Four issues of the weekly devoted one or two pages mainly to candidate profiles and an election \u201cjury panel\u201d question each week.\u00a0 The jury was made up of two businessmen and three women \u2013 a retiree, a parent, and first-time voter.\u00a0 A few letters were published, with one highlighting concern over the sitting member\u2019s time in the seat, and only a few articles on candidate\u2019s promises.<\/p>\n

So where to from here?<\/p>\n

This slideshow requires JavaScript.<\/p>

<\/div>\n

The great thing about an election campaign is that it energises the community and motivates people to volunteer their time to improve their region.\u00a0 The downside is it divides the community along party lines.<\/p>\n

One candidate spoke to me of the camaraderie that has developed between some candidates and the people helping them at the pre-polling booths.\u00a0 Between elections what would happen if you got these people together to work on the 90 per cent of issues on which they agree, lobby for change and help to implement solutions?<\/p>\n

Certainly, the sitting member placed great emphasis on a \u201csense of shared purpose\u201d as being critical to help local development.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see what happens in this regard, and through this role with No Fibs I feel more connected to the local community and keen to participate!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Local Issues Highlighted by Candidates in Frankston Leader Profile<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Candidate<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Party<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Local Issues<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Simon Tiller<\/td>\nGreens<\/td>\nclean energy, free dental care<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sonya Kilkenny<\/td>\nALP<\/td>\nhospital, schools and TAFE, school kids bonus<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kate Ryder<\/td>\nPalmer United Party<\/td>\njobs, public transport, roads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cameron Eastman<\/td>\nFamily First<\/td>\nSchools funding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rod Burt<\/td>\nIndependent<\/td>\njobs, small business, social housing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bruce Billson<\/td>\nLiberal<\/td>\njobs, small business, cost of living, local infra, services, environment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Roy Broff<\/td>\nIndependent<\/td>\nlack of vision, disillusion, business development and red tape, crime and other social issues, public transport<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eloise Palmi<\/td>\nSex Party<\/td>\ncrime, health, sex education<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yvonne Gentle<\/td>\nRise Up Australia<\/td>\njobs, social problems<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Dunkley Seat Reports<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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