Stuart Grimley to open up in Torquay

MEMBER for Western Victoria Stuart Grimley will be opening his Parliamentary office in Torquay within weeks.

The Victorian leader of Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party sat down with us last week for a few questions.

How did you get into politics?
I was Derryn Hinch’s running mate in his successful Federal election in 2016. When he decided to run, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Justice Party – the policies aligned with my 15-year career as a police officer and his focus on caring for the vulnerable really struck a chord with me.

Are you local?
Yes – I’ve lived in Armstrong Creek for around five years and love it here. This area has such a strong family vibe and the local amenities are great. We spend a lot of time in Torquay as well especially walking our dog at Whytes Beach. We’ve secured an office space in Torquay – at 15 Pearl Street – so I’ll be seeing a lot more of the Torquay community when we move in, hopefully in the next six weeks. My two teenage children Michael and Brianna also go to Surf Coast Secondary School and both love it there.

At a glance, what are your goals for your four-year term?
The party has a strong focus on ensuring sex offenders are kept away from our kids and we will eventually look to propose legislation to establish a Public Sex Offenders Register. Besides this, we have policies on law and order, equal rights and animal justice. Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party is also committed to ensuring common sense is applied to many of the situations that come across our desk. The beauty of being part of a minor party is we are often able to provide a better service to our constituents and provide a direct link to the parliament. Further to this, we pride ourselves on maintaining an open mind and are prepared to listen to the arguments on both sides to be able to make an effective decision for the betterment of the community. I aim to assist Western Victoria constituents with any government enquiries or issues – I want them to know they have someone to turn to.

What’s a fun fact about you?
While I was a teacher in a remote Aboriginal school in the Central Desert of Western Australia, I was taught by an elder to play the didgeridoo – something I love playing.