CANDIDATES for the seat of Mildura made their case to farmers and rural voters in an online forum on Monday.
Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano hosted the forum featuring Independent MP Ali Cupper, Liberals candidate Paul Matheson, the Nationals’ Jade Benham and independent candidate Glenn Milne.
The VFF has identified Mildura as a key seat in the November 26 election and made council rates and addressing roads and rail key priorities, along with political accountability.
It was the first public appearance for Mr Matheson after a report in October that he lied during an internal police investigation into his conduct as a detective senior sergeant.
Mr Matheson said the people of Mildura should trust him as an honest candidate because the Liberals delivered on its policies.
“The Liberal Party (has) sound policies,” Mr Matheson said. “We’ve costed those and there’s really no secrets. You know we’re going to deliver what we’ve promised.”
Ms Cupper said she had followed through on her 2018 promise to make Mildura “active agents” and no longer “at the end of the queue” in the state.
Ms Benham said she would earn trust because she could “walk to the walk”, while Mr Milne said he had had a long history as Mildura councillor because he was “an open book”.
A VFF election priorities is for a rates cap to be placed on each category of land across the state to give farmers a “fair go”.
The Victorian Government has applied a cap on increases in rates for all councils since 2016.
Ms Benham said the state and Commonwealth governments had been “cost shifting” to local councils, while Mr Matheson said another review was needed on rural rates and the “structure and purpose of local government”.
Ms Germano said there had already been three reviews.
Ms Cupper said the former federal Coalition government could have improved rates with the “stroke of a pen” by changing the formula for how federal assistance grants were distributed allowing more funds to go to councils.
Mr Milne said it was not necessary to argue with the federal government and agreed with the VFF policy.
On the issue of roads and rail, Ms Benham said the Coalition would address freight routes such as the Robinvale-Hattah Road to make them safe for trucks and cars.
Mr Matheson said the Murray Basin Rail project needed a rescoping and the Rail project business case needed another look.
Mr Milne said he would advocate for all major roads to be “weather-proofed” from rain and flooding, and to standardise the entire rail system.
Ms Cupper said the Andrews government had done a poor job on roads, but the previous state Coalition government gave “a whole lot less for roads”.
Meanwhile, Family First Victoria on Tuesday announced Brad Stratton as its candidate for Mildura, the ninth declared entrant to the race.
Candidates will appear in a forum hosted by Sunraysia Daily on Monday at 6pm.
