Wednesday, 17 April, 2019
Pakenham
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Walking to spread the word on MND
Tributes flow for Jeni Mathieson
Sudanese footballer’s inspiring journey
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Getting to know the new CEO Cardinia is the perfect fit for new council CEO Carol Jeffs. Ms Jeffs had lived in the region for five years before taking the reins from Garry McQuillan late last year - and commuting to and from St Kilda in that time has felt the congestion pain like the rest of us. When the Bunyip State Park blaze broke out last month, her family was initially in the line of fire and enacted a fire plan to evacuate the Pakenham Upper property. She spent the following week or two leading the relief and recovery effort. So it has been a bit of a baptism of fire for the new CEO, who agreed to sit down with Gazette editor Garry Howe for a Q&A interview designed to help ratepayers and residents get to know a bit more about their new chief . Turn to pages 4-5 for the interview.
Wood faces battle
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social policy that have led to the collapse of a prime ministership," Mr Economou said. “Voters want government to deliver services, and want to sense that the major party in government is unified. Voters are attracted to this idea that the party is focused on policy debate and not internal ideological fights.” High-profile former Liberal-turned-independent candidate Julia Banks, who resigned following last year’s Liberal Party leadership spill accusing the party of sexism and bullying, has mounted a challenge against incumbent Mr Hunt in Flinders. But Mr Economou says while he expects there to be a general swing against the Liberal party, he would be surprised if Mr Hunt lost the seat. Similarly, he believes the seat of Monash,
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formerly McMillan, will be retained by Liberal MP Russell Broadbent, after a redistribution in 2016 saw it converted into a safe Liberal seat. And for those hoping independents will take the reins, Mr Economou has some bad news. “I hear this before every election ... none of it ever comes to pass. The system is geared against minor parties and independents. Independents don’t do well in metropolitan contests in state or national elections. “If the vote is close, how the independents’ preferences flow could be the difference.” But as the saying goes, a week is a long time in politics - and there are five left before voters hit the polls. “Who knows what will happen in the next five weeks?” Mr Economou said.
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A noted political expert and the bookies are united - Liberal MP Jason Wood will struggle in his attempt to retain the seat of La Trobe in the Federal Election. With five weeks to the Federal Election, political expert Dr Nick Economou says Mr Wood is set to lose the marginal seat to ALP candidate Simon Curtis - and it seems the bookies agree. TAB Sportsbet has framed a market on La Trobe, with Mr Curtis a red hot $1.45 favourite and Mr Wood drifting into $2.50. Already, the region has seen announcements of significant pledges from both the Liberal and Labor parties as candidates vie for voters’ favour. Mr Economou, political scientist and Se-
nior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Monash University, said that in some seats the fate of candidates looked sealed. For example, he is confident that Holt, held by Anthony Byrne, will remain a Labor seat. Elsewhere, internal party issues might do some damage. “La Trobe is a seat I could expect the Liberals to lose. Flinders ought to be a safe Liberal seat but there is some talk about it becoming vulnerable,” he told the Gazette. Sportsbet has Labor candidate Joshua Sinclair ahead in the Flinders market at $1.72 and sitting MP and Coalition Minister Greg Hunt at even money, or a $2 return. “The issue there is what the Liberal party has been doing to itself over the last three years - in particular, internal convulsions over aspects of
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By Danielle Kutchel