MICHAELA Settle has been returned to State parliament by claiming the newly named seat of Eureka.<\/p>\n
Ms Settle has held a seat in the lower house since 2018 in the old Division of Buninyong.<\/p>\n
She retained the seat despite a small first preference swing away from Labor, which was sitting at about four per cent at time of publication.<\/p>\n
With the Division of Buninyong having undergone and significant realignment as it became Eureka, Ms Settle said she\u2019s proud of the diversity in the electorate.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegional Victoria is incredibly diverse and vibrant. I\u2019m delighted my seat of Eureka covers an enormous amount of that area,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of Moorabool Shire, Golden Plains Shire as well as parts of Ballarat. We\u2019ve got some great opportunities going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
With wind farms fast becoming a major source of employment in the region, one Labor election commitment resonated with Ms Settle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m delighted that one of the announcements was about the renewable training centre out at Federation TAFE so we can really harness what we\u2019ve got in the region and turn that into jobs and opportunities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
With a large geographical are now to cover, Ms Settle said it\u2019s important that all of the broader electorate is supported, particularly with regards to the upcoming Commonwealth Games.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me what really matters is the idea of legacy pieces. I want to make sure\u2026 that benefit is spread across a broader region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great that it\u2019s here in Ballarat\u2026 but I want to make sure there\u2019s wins for the broader regional community.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking sure East Ballarat isn\u2019t forgotten is also important. Everyone concentrates on the growth in the west but we\u2019re proud communities in the east and we need to keep delivering for those communities as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defeated Liberal candidate for Eureka, Paul Tatchell, spent the election evening at the Commercial Hotel at Ballan.<\/p>\n
He said he\u2019d congratulated Ms Settle and that for him, the campaign was \u201cnever about winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never had any views that we\u2019d be successful. It was really about doing some advocacy for the region which is what that platform was about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHad the Libs not ran, there would have been a massive gap back to the independents. The catalyst for running was to make sure it didn\u2019t blow out any further.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a 15 per cent margin, then it came back to about 10. Michaela had more than 40 per cent of the primary last election. I\u2019m a realist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Tatchell said he\u2019s concerned about the \u201cabsolute contempt\u201d both major parties seem to have for taxpayer funds, as well as the inability for the Liberals to connect with younger voters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t understand the ramifications of that short-term myopic thinking,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe keep forgetting it\u2019s the people\u2019s money. The classic example is Sovereign Hill. I\u2019m sure people would rather 27 million be filling potholes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you\u2019re part of the party you have to be there. As much as I protested on a couple occasions, the fact is you sign up for that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to get back to some form of representation and be brave enough to step away from party views and not have it called disunity but representation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MICHAELA Settle has been returned to State parliament by claiming the newly named seat of Eureka. Ms Settle has held a seat in the lower house since 2018 in the old Division of Buninyong. She retained the seat despite a small first preference swing away from Labor, which was sitting at about four per cent […]<\/p>\n