Decapitates

MEET THE CANDIDATES

THE seat of Gippsland South covers 8232 square kilometres of Victoria, taking in all of South Gippsland Shire, part of the Latrobe City Council region and the southern half of Wellington Shire Council. Danny O’Brien is the incumbent member, aligned with the National Party of Victoria, who has represented the seat since the 2015 by-election. The towns of Sale, Yarram, Rosedale, Woodside, Seaspray, Golden Beach, Loch Sport and Longford are all part of the electorate; as are areas such as Denison, Nambrok and Gormandale. Clay Esler: Independent

I AM a family man, a husband, a father, Sale local and retired Air Force pilot with over 14 years service. It is my strong desire to serve our country which led me to join the Royal Australian Air Force, flying the King Air, with the Roulettes and as an instructor of the PC9 and PC21 aircraft here in Sale. It is my drive to serve our country and our communities that has led me to ask for your support to again serve you, this time as your representative in Parliament. Throughout my career serving in the Defence Force, I have held integrity, transparency and leadership as three key values to success. Now retired, I still hold these key values at my core, and see them as the foundation of an inclusive and prosperous community, and what I see lacking in Parliament today. My key focus points are on the issues that challenge Gippsland South. We must end the corruption and the waste in our government, stop the overhead powerlines, and give our farmers and landholders back their rights over their own land. We need to protect our coastlines, end all mandates, and get our experienced health care professionals back - we need them more now than ever; end the energy crisis and secure a future for our local industries such as timber, coal and gas. We must encourage and grow our small businesses, not shut them down. If elected, you have my solemn word that I will serve Gippsland South as I have served Australia, putting communities first, always. I will never leave behind the vulnerable, and will always stand for my constituents needs. You will not go unheard and I will be 100 per cent transparent and accountable to you.

Clay Esler is running as an independent,

Greens candidate for Gippsland South Jay Tiziani-Simpson. Candidates briefing

WITH the state election taking place this Saturday, the Gippsland Times asked candidates for the seats of Gippsland South and Gippsland East to provide a 300-word statement about their vision for the region. In all, responses were received from 12 candidates - six in each seat. For the district of Gippsland South, Clay Esler (Independent), Jay Tiziani-Simpson (Greens), Denise Ryan (Labor), Danny O’Brien (The Nationals), Helen Jeges (Animal Justice) and Angela Newnham (Freedom Party) all provided statements. Statements were also sent through by Gippsland East candidates Tim Bull (The Nationals), Stephen Richardson (Labor), Ricky Muir (Shooters, Fishers & Farmers), Nissa Ling (Greens), Sally Court (Animal Justice) and Ed Barnes (Freedom Party). Candidates representing Family First Victoria - Paul Furlong in Gippsland South, and Carl Fechner in Gippsland East, were unable to be reached for comment; the party’s spokesperson and media coordinator, Lyle Shelton, was contacted by the Gippsland Times but did not respond to our calls, texts or emails.

Jay Tiziani-Simpson: Greens

THE Gippsland South electorate is huge, and there is a great diversity among the needs of the communities. We have towns concerned about coastal erosion, towns concerned about job security, towns concerned about forestry logging, and towns concerned about agricultural sustainability. It is important that all issues are being heard, understood, and represented in Parliament. Being a life-long local, working on farms and in the local community, I have a great understanding of these different challenges. Gippsland South needs someone with passion and energy to make the changes that are desperately needed. Let’s actually fix the roads, not just complain about them. I say it’s about time we give everyone a fair