How to vote Independent in Northcote

If you have received one of my flyers in your letterbox, my preferences for how-to-vote are shown on one side. If you have decided to vote for me, thanks! Please take the flyer with you to your voting centre, as I do not have the resources to give out how-to-vote-cards at every centre, though I will be around.

For those who have not come to this site from the flyer, I give my preferences here in ballot order. Please remember to number all the squares in the ballot for the Lower House, or your vote won't count. If you think I deserve your vote, don't miss writing a '1' in the box next to my name at the bottom of the ballot.

WILLIS, Daniel - The Family First candidate, please preference Willis last by writing a '5' in the box next to his name on the Lower House ballot. Willis represents a right-wing conservative religious agenda, and has no links with local communities. While I am not myself religious, I believe churches have a contribution to make in debates like social justice. However, Willis would not represent the diversity of reasonable views held within the electorate, instead supporting the extreme agenda of his party.

BHATHAL, Alex - The Greens candidate, please preference Bhathal second by writing a '2' in the box next to her name on the Lower House ballot. You may have seen the recent electoral material distributed by Labor suggesting a preference deal between the Greens and the Liberals. I put these allegations to the Greens before deciding to preference them second and am satisfied the allegations are false. Green preferences in Northcote clearly preference Labor over the Liberals, and I am convinced there is no 'deal' to favour the Liberals in other seats. Despite some differences on Melbourne 2030, the Greens have decent policies, and I am prepared to preference them second to send a message to Bracks as a disaffected life-long supporter (but never a member) of his Party who is sick of community voices being ignored.

RICHARDSON, Fiona - The Labor candidate, please preference Richardson third by writing a '3' in the box next to her name on the Lower House ballot. Richardson was imposed on the electorate when Mary Delahunty, the sitting member and pre-selected candidate, resigned in the lead-up to the poll. Richardson lives in Regent, outside the electorate, and has few links to local communities apart from her claimed use of our shops, roads and doctors. Nevertheless, she has misleadingly claimed to be a 'local' in electoral material distributed to local communities.

If elected, she would carry forward objectionable Government policies such as the Melbourne 2030 pro-development agenda (for further discussion, please see my own policies). Residents could also expect little in the way of advocacy from a Labor MP unwilling to speak out against the policies of her re-elected Government.

Richardson is aligned with the Labor Right, and is married to State Labor heavy-weight, Stephen Newnham, who authorised misleading election material such as Peter Garrett's letter about a preference 'deal' between the Greens and the Liberals (see above, and my media release on the topic). Please send them a message that they can no longer take local residents for granted.

WATT, Graham - The Liberal candidate, please preference Watt fourth by writing a '4' in the box next to his name on the Lower House ballot. I still remember the Kennett years, and hope you do too. Watt represents everything we see going wrong with Government at the Federal level, and a vote for the Liberals would be a vote for John Howard's harsh industrial relations laws, which I utterly reject. I was at the ACTU's national days of protest and will be at the MCG on 30 November, but you won't find Watt in the crowd. Please ensure your vote is for fairness in the workplace.

LEWIN-HILL, Darren - I am the only Independent candidate running for Northcote, and ask that you preference me first by writing a '1' in the box next to my name on the Lower House ballot. I ask for your vote as a genuine local resident who has fought for the community on planning issues, and as someone who would demand a local say on all issues affecting local residents in Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, Fairfield and Alphington. I oppose the Howard industrial relations laws, am sympathetic to Labor values, but would hold the Government to account in the many areas where it has fallen down - including public-private partnerships, service delivery and planning. I am also standing on local issues such as safer speed limits, increased childcare, protection of the environment, and cuts to the gaming machines that take tens of millions of dollars from the community. I urge you to read these pages, paying close attention to my policies.