By Corey Everitt
PRECEDE-
Cardinia Shire certainly enjoys substantial freedom from the clashes on Spring Street and in Canberra, but there are still many that have links to established politics.
In the VEC’s candidate questionnaire it requires someone to declare whether they are endorsed by a registered party, but not whether they are a member of the party.
Almost all candidates declare themselves independent, but the definition follows the VEC’s questionnaire, whether a candidate is ‘endorsed’ is different than declaring one a card-carrying member.
For the major parties, both Labor and Liberal have ceased a formalised system within branches dedicated to preselection or campaigning in council elections. If they do, it is largely exclusive to the more influential and larger municipalities.
In a place like Cardinia, members have the freedom to stand if they wish to but they rarely receive any formal endorsement, therefore receiving no campaign support from their respective branch or party machine.
Longtime councillor Collin Ross, who is a member of the Labor Party, said the reality of this has seen little party politics infect the council.
“I’m not endorsed, so I have never been political on the council,“ he said.
“There are times were residents have approached me and assumed I’m a Liberal with all the varying things I have done.“
Non-endorsement fits the VEC’s definition of ‘independent’, but some residents may believe any party affiliation fails to truly meet the criteria.
As the Gazette understands, there are two candidates who are members of the Liberal Party of Australia and four candidates who are members of the Australian Labor Party.
Labor encompasses two candidates seeking reelection, Carol Ryan and Collin Ross, running in Henty Ward and Central Ward respectively. Two new candidates are Labor, Cecilia Mphande in Henty and Amirthalingam Dhileepan in Toomuc Ward.
The most immediate impact party members running would be in preferences, which is still limited as voting is solely postal and candidates can only letterbox their own how-to-vote card in an attempt to direct preferences.
In 2020 the Gazette reported on an email sent from Labor’s State secretary that reportedly declared that standing members must preference any other fellow members running in the same ward.
In Henty, Ryan and Mphande are running against each other and Mphande is distributing a how-to-vote card that asks residents to give Ryan second preference after herself.
The how-to-vote material was decided upon because of concerns for potential invalid votes from residents not filling all boxes, Mphande explained.
Ryan and Mphande are both running ‘independent campaigns’ and she said the preference for her fellow Labor colleague was only because they ‘align in values’.
“I’m running as an independent candidate although, for over six years, I’ve been an ALP member,” she said.
“When you are a councillor, political parties must be put aside. Councillors advocate on behalf of all council residents.”
Ryan said she is not publishing any material dictating preferences.
“I’m running independently, not endorsed. I’ve never done it, and I just think it’s up to people to how they want to elect a candidate for Cardinia Shire Council,” she said.
Liz Roberts is third on Mphande’s list. According to Mphande, Roberts originally rejected her preference.
Roberts is not a member of any party, but has been open about the connection she has had with local political figures.
Briefly, she worked as an electoral officer for Pakenham MP Emma Vulin and stated that this was an apolitical job where any ‘party talk’ in the office was prohibited.
She said she got this role by running into Vulin on the campaign trail of the 2022 State Election, where Roberts helped campaign for Brett Owen’s run as an independent against Vulin.
Over the years, Roberts asserts she has worked with or been in contact with members of all parties, including Greens ex-councillor Michael Schilling and Liberal MP for La Trobe Jason Wood.
“It’s people’s own choice on how to vote, I’ve been open as possibly as I can be, I hope that others have been as well,” she said.
Fourth on Mphande’s how-to-vote is Shoheli Sunjida who is a member of the Liberal Party, but is not endorsed.
Sunjida was formerly a member of the Labor Party, but would make the switch after the 2020 controversy.
“I approached other candidates about preferences and they all refused, I had to base my strategy on that,” she said.
Recently, she posted a picture to her facebook page of a ballot paper numbered with Roberts last, Ryan fourth, Mphande third and Victorian Socialists candidate Stephanie Grigg second.
In Westernport Ward, Kaye Cameron is a member of the Liberal Party and also is not formally endorsed.
Preferences for her run are of little importance as she is only against one other candidate, Trudi Paton who is a member of the Libertarian Party, but also not formally endorsed.
Other candidates also are former members, Jeff Springfield, running again in Ranges Ward, was formerly a Labor member, but would rip up his membership card as well around the 2020 controversy and has remained independent since.
Longtime councillor Brett Owen was formerly a member of the Liberal Party, the circumstances of his departure are not known by the Gazette.
Back in Henty, Mphande put Victorian Socialist candidate Stephanie Grigg last because she has not answered any of her calls, she said.
The socialists started in 2018 by running City of Yarra councillor Stephen Jolly for the State Upper House.
Since then they have branched into elections for all levels of Government, successfully electing their first member, Jorge Andres Jorquera, to City of Maribyrnong in 2020.
Originally an electoral coalition between Jolly and Marxist organisations Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance, Jolly and Alliance have since departed leaving the party mostly composed of Socialist Alternative and a collection of individuals from Melbourne’s broad-Left.
They quickly garnered a reputation for persistent campaigning, mobilising hundreds to doorknock and letterbox thousands of homes.
Though you probably won’t see them in Cardinia this election as their main targets are in the inner-city and the outer-north of Melbourne.
Officer Ward candidate Ron Malhotra is not a member of any party, but has said he is receiving advice on his campaign from former councillor in the City of Casey, Rosalie Crestani.
Crestani was a member of Rise Up Australia before it dissolved in 2019. This party was led by members of evangelical church group Catch the Fire Ministries.
Malhotra said he is not a member of the church group nor was a member of Rise Up Australia.
The Greens are one of the few parties that do endorse their council candidates. They have one candidate in Cardinia, Rodrigo Bardales, who is running in Toomuc Ward.
“People deserve to know who they are voting for, anyone who is running should be open enough to put their information out,” he said.
“If am a member of the political party it’s because I believe in their values, ideas and policies, why should I be ashamed of that?
“If I was, then why would I be with them?”
Bardales takes over from Michael Schilling, the Greens councillor who served as a councillor between 2016 and 2020.
The Cardinia branch of the Greens has assisted Bardales’s campaigning, each branch is responsible for their own financing which they do through individual donations from residents.
The branch decided against directing preferences in their materials.
For the remaining candidates, the Gazette has yet to see reports of affiliations with current or former registered political parties.
