Meet your Wannon candidates

Alex Dyson
Independent

Resides: Warrnambool

Occupation: Author and small business owner.

How long have you lived in your electorate? I was born and raised in Warrnambool and completed all my schooling here. Like many young people I moved away for university and was then fortunate to have a career on national radio. I have moved back to beautiful Warrnambool with my partner Anneliese.

What’s your involvement with the community? This is my third time running as an Independent to get a better deal for my community. In 2022 I was proud to be endorsed by local grassroots group Voices of Wannon and together our community campaign got within 4% of the vote.
This election, our people-powered movement continues to grow, with 3,300 supporters and 800 volunteers. We come from all walks of life and political backgrounds, and are united by one purpose – to put community and integrity back into politics.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? As a community Independent, I don’t answer to a political party, I answer to locals. Wannon has been a safe seat for 70 years which means we’ve been neglected by the Labor Party and taken for granted by the Liberal Party.

Who are you preferencing? Unlike political parties, I don’t tell people who to preference – that’s up to voters. I encourage people to vote 1 Alex Dyson and then number every other box in the order of their choice.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? I’m grateful to have the support of more than 1,500 individual donors and all donations are listed on my website for transparency.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? Roads, cost of living and access to care – childcare, healthcare and aged care.

Lee-Ann Elmes
Family First

Candidate did not respond by deadline.

Kate Gazzard
The Australian Greens

Occupation: Doctor

Resides: Jan Juc, Surf Coast

How long have you lived in your electorate? I currently live adjacent to the electorate but I have previously lived in Wannon for 11 years, and still have family living there.

What’s your involvement with the community? I was a councillor for Surf Coast Shire Council in 2020-2024 and travelled throughout Surf Coast during my time as a leader in the community. My family have a farm in Murroon where I help work seasonally. I am involved in providing local healthcare which includes catchment areas of Wannon.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? The Australian Greens

Who are you preferencing? [2] Independent Alex Dyson [3] Legalise Cannabis Robbie Swan [4] ALP Fiona Mackenzie

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? Campaign budget is shared with Corangamite and Corio with a dedicated team fundraising through events, live music, raffle tickets and market stalls. We do not take donations from large corporations rather we are people powered.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? Cost of living, climate action, childcare

Julie Ann McCamish
Trumpet of Patriots

Candidate did not respond by deadline.

Robbie Swan
Legalise Cannabis Party

Candidate did not respond by deadline.

Leo Curtain
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation

Occupation: Former Civil Construction (Roads ) Project Manager

Resides: Terang

How long have you lived in your electorate? 10 months

What’s your involvement with the community? Lawn Bowls , RSL.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? Pauline Hanson One Nation

Who are you preferencing?

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? Self funded

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? Australia is at a crisis point, and so are Australians
Our Cost-of-Living is out of control with power, food, fuel, rents, and mortgages, all having risen dramatically under the Albanese Labor government.

Albo is still blaming The Libs for our country’s position, however he wasted $522 million on the Voice Referendum that divided us, he has shown himself incapable of not spending our taxpayer money.
He and his team is doubling of our debt to from $600 billion (May 2022) to $1.2 TRILLION (2025-26), and is refusing to accept responsibility.

Seriously, is anyone better off now than in May 2022? (Unless you’re on the Net ZERO Gravy Train!!). Labor, LNP and Greens, only have policies that will reduce our freedoms and cost us more in taxes,

Every time there is mention of a handout or a subsidy it is your tax payer dollars that is being used.

We are determined to reduce our cost-of-living measures especially halving the fuel excise and changing the National Electricity Market rules to cut electricity bills by 20%.

Tax measures especially letting couples with kids to split incomes, and letting aged and veteran pensioners earn money working without affecting their pensions.

Housing measures – lowering immigration to reduce housing demand and banning foreign ownership to increase housing supply.

Supporting farmers and forestry – One Nation supports our farmers, we’ll reverse the ban on live sheep exports and restore balance to the Murray Darling Basin Plan; we’ll also protect Victoria’s 17,000 forestry jobs

We need a new direction that takes us out of the Net ZERO madness and onto a path of recovery and prosperity. Pauline Hanson’s One Nation has the policies, enthusiastic Candidates and we will put the hearts and lives of Australians in FIRST PLACE. Vote for positive change – Vote for an Australia our grandchildren can thrive in. Check our policies to put more money back in Australians’ pockets at https://vote.onenation.org.au/Vote
Vote 1 – Leo Curtain Pauline Hanson One Nation in Wannon May 3 2025.

Dan Tehan
Liberal Party of Australia

Candidate did not respond by deadline.

Fiona Mackenzie
Australian Labor Party

Candidate did not respond by deadline.

Bernadine Atkinson
Independent

Occupation: Currently: candidate to represent Wannon in Federal Parliament, author and carer. Formerly: journalist, editor, teacher, lecturer, researcher, broadcast officer, farm worker.

Resides: In a 150-year-old farm cottage 6km from Lake Bolac.

How long have you lived in your electorate? On and off for 50 years.

What’s your involvement with the community? Mostly big picture issues: Master’s research to improve ecological reporting, then, post-graduate course development at Deakin Uni to make sure it happens. My Landcare Project for district farms won Federal funding of $250,000 to arrest salinity, provide community woodlots, create stock shelterbelts and assist wildlife survival. Following my doctoral research to help our transition to ecological sustainability, I produced a book, internationally published, sharing 12 years of university study, to help everyone understand the importance of restoring the natural world. My post-graduate work investigated energy security for Australia. Nuclear wins easily: fuel rods can be recycled 90 times and containment vessels can be used for 80 years before refurbishment is needed. Uranium fuel rods will give us all, safe, inexpensive, base-load electricity and small, modular reactors can desalinate salty water. I’m also a member of CWA and an ecumenical Christian.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? My doctoral studies involved ‘political action research’ with NT’s Country Liberal Party. I helped Bob Katter’s campaign office for three weeks as a volunteer in Brisbane.

Who are you preferencing? I, personally, will preference National/Liberal Coalition and Family First. All voters’ individual preferences should be respected.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? Me and my one-page plastic covered, nation-renewing, 10 policies statement: a few delivered by me to most of Wannon’s towns. A friend’s loan.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? 1. Direct Federal funding of Local Governments, combining the three Public Services, and allowing Local Government to resume essential service provision: empowering Local Governments will prosper the entire nation. 2. Boosting incomes and pensions through non-conscripted, full- or part-time, National Service overseen by Services Australia and the ADF. This will include paying CFA, SES and Life-savers, establishing Municipal Home Guard Defence Units, paying volunteer community support workers and undertaking ecological sustainability projects. Ending Centrelink’s imposed poverty will make home-buying and renting easier. 3. Rapidly deploying modular reactors and redirecting wind tower and transmission line money to piping desalinated water to where it can permanently alleviate drought distress.