LIBERAL candidate for the Federal seat of Bendigo, Darin Schade, wants to reinvigorate his party\u2019s presence in the region through his election campaign.<\/p>\n
Mr Schade, who was born in Bendigo but currently lives and works in Melbourne, said he was asked to run after being told there was no local candidate, prompting a late start to his contest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI then turned around and said \u2018I would\u2019ve loved to have been able to announce a candidacy six months ago had I known that there wasn\u2019t anybody here\u2019 because I have a passion for the place, I am still here as much as I can be and to find out that there wasn\u2019t a candidate was a surprise to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On whether the lack of candidates currently residing in the electorate should be a point of concern for voters, Mr Schade said the more important thing was eventually finding a candidate passionate about the region, with experience outside of politics and unions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think the fact that I\u2019ve spent years working in Melbourne is a negative, I think it\u2019s a positive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Schade said he has spent 20 years working in the banking industry and major corporations, and 12 years running a small business. He would move to Bendigo if elected.<\/p>\n
Currently he said he works as a fintech consultant and environmental educator, and wants to bring environmental responsibility to his role as a Bendigo candidate.<\/p>\n
Other issues top of mind are empty shopfronts in the CBD, road safety, housing affordability and jobs, and he said he was an \u201cabsolute fan\u201d of the City of Greater Bendigo\u2019s Regional Employment Precinct planned for Marong.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to work out how we can get the right jobs for the right people in the right timing and by supporting and getting retail and hospitality back on their feet, as well as having longer term plans for things like the employment precinct are things that I want to get the government to put as much support as they can into,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
With Federal election campaigns in full swing across the country, including that of local Labor incumbent Lisa Chesters, Mr Schade said announcements would be made according to a Liberal party national campaign calendar and he would not respond to each of Ms Chesters\u2019 funding pledges.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not playing that game. There will be more announcements coming up, Senator [Sarah] Henderson will be coming up here at some stage during the campaign and I\u2019m looking forward to us being able to say more about things then,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Schade said it would take \u201ca lot of hard work\u201d to win the electorate which has been held by Labor since 1998.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will depend [on] more than just what happens in Bendigo, there will be a broader decision on who the country thinks is better for their leadership and how well Bendigo follow that particular movement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, what I want to do with this candidacy if I were to fail is to reinvigorate the Liberals within Bendigo so that when it comes to the State election and future elections, that we\u2019re not looking for a candidate at the last moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Schade said a state campaign was \u201ccertainly\u201d on his mind if he loses out on the Federal election, having previously represented the Liberals in the 2018 Victorian election in the seat of Melbourne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LIBERAL candidate for the Federal seat of Bendigo, Darin Schade, wants to reinvigorate his party\u2019s presence in the region through his election campaign. Mr Schade, who was born in Bendigo but currently lives and works in Melbourne, said he was asked to run after being told there was no local candidate, prompting a late start […]<\/p>\n