By Casey Neill
The candidates for next month’s Federal Election have been announced.
Locally, there are 10 contesting the seat of Casey, five vying for Aston and seven running for La Trobe.
The Casey electorate takes in most of the Yarra Ranges, with Belgrave, Mount Dandenong and surrounding areas new to the patch this election.
Liberal Tony Smith has held the seat since 2001 and will recontest.
Taking him on will be the ALP’s Bill Brindle, Green Jenny Game-Lopata, independent Peter Charleton, Rise Up Australia Party’s Antony Calabro, DLP’s Ross McPHEE, Travis Barker from the Animal Justice Party, Wendy Starkey from the United Australia Party, Ryan Leslie Clark from Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party and The Great Australian Party’s Jayden O’Connor.
The Aston covers a small portion of the Mail’s coverage area, including Ferntree Gully, Upper Ferntree Gully and Sassafras.
Liberal incumbent Alan Tudge will recontest the seat.
Green Asher Cookson, ALP’s Kadira Pethiyagoda, Matthew Sirianni-Duffy from the United Australia Party and the DLP’s Anna Kennedy are running against him.
La Trobe, again, covers a small area of the Mail’s territory, in Emerald, Gembrook, Cockatoo, Menzies Creek and surrounds.
Liberal incumbent Jason Wood will recontest, with Simon Curtis from the ALP taking him on again after a narrow defeat at the 2016 election.
Also contesting the seat are Green Amy Gregorovich, who ran for Gembrook at last year’s state election, Norman Baker from the Rise Up Australia Party, Esther Baker from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, Duncan Dean from the United Australia Party, and Asher Joseph Calwell-Browne from Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party.
We’ll introduce you to all the candidates before polling day, on Saturday 18 May.
