Marles, Henderson pitch for votes at pre-election breakfast

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Corio Labor federal member Richard Marles and Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson presented different perspectives on how they viewed the Geelong region and what their respective parties would do next at a breakfast event on Monday this week.

The Geelong Chamber of Commerce hosted the event at Fyansford venue Truffleduck, which drew a crowd of about 90 attendees.

Senator Henderson spent a large part of her opening remarks attacking what she described as the failings of Labor in federal and state government.

“I’m not going to mince my words. Our region has been abandoned by Labor,” she said.

“What’s really, really concerning about what’s happened for our region is that in four successive federal budgets, the Albanese government has not funded one new major infrastructure project for our region.”

Mr Marles said the results of two recent footy matches gave a sense of where Geelong was at: the Cats’ come-from-behind victory against Adelaide in the AFL, as the Cats for “more than two decades now [have] spoke to the optimism and the progress of Geelong”; and North Shore’s 40-goal loss in the GFL seniors.

“What the story at North Shore tells us is really the challenge of this moment, which is that for a lot of people in our northern suburbs – and not just our northern suburbs, but also places like Newcomb, Whittington and parts of Grovedale – there is a question about whether or not this is their best days.

“And I think the challenge of our city which is exemplified in those two games over the weekend is as we progress forward as a city, do we do so as one or does Geelong bifurcate?”

During the Q&A, Mr Marles and Senator Henderson answered several questions collated from chamber members and asked by Banksia Strategic Partners founder and director Steve Michelson.

Neither politician would give a prediction on the final election result after the May 3 poll.

In his introductory comments, Geelong Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Jeremy Crawford said the chamber expected several things from whoever won the election.

“Above all, the chamber expects leadership from our politicians that will listen, we expect partnerships that truly help develop the region, and we expect leadership that capitalises on the opportunities that are right here and right now for our region.”