Meet your Corangamite candidates

Kate Lockhart
Independent

Occupation: Agricultural scientist

Resides: Drysdale.

How long have you lived in your electorate? We have called the Bellarine home for nearly 20 years.

What’s your involvement with the community?  I am absolutely dedicated to our community, contributing my time, energy and skills across environment and farming, education, and sport, including:
Bellarine Landcare (President 5yrs, Vice President 4yrs, Member 15yrs.)
Drysdale Primary School Council (8 yrs)
Drysdale Tennis Club committee and as a community coach (15 yrs)
Bellarine Secondary College School Council (2 yrs)
Parent volunteer at Drysdale Soccer Club (10 yrs), Peninsula Sharks Women’s Football & Drysdale Junior Football and Netball (2 yrs)
In 2023 I received the City of Greater Geelong Women Community Life: Climate Action award.
Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement?
No. I have been involved with Women in Local Democracy for a couple of years, I am graduate fellow of Women Leading Locally (2024). I joined the Voices of Corangamite community group in January 2025.

Who are you preferencing? As a Community Independent, running on Integrity, Equity and Climate Action, I am not involved in party preference deals.
To encourage informed, values-based voting I have reviewed the policies of other candidates and provided my evaluation of where they stand comparatively in terms of Integrity, Equity and Climate Change.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? Our community donations from locals are close to $20,000 – with no single donor contributing more than $1,000.
Voices of Corangamite have contributed $2,000 to my campaign. There is no support from Climate 200 or the Regional Voices Fund.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? 1) Listening to the community and taking action on cost-of-living pressures; improving access to affordable housing and reducing energy bills by supporting household electrification.
2) Axing billions in subsidies to fossil fuel companies and freeing up funds for community need including housing, and climate change mitigation. NO to nuclear energy, NO new gas or coal, NO to waste incineration in Lara.
3) Corangamite needs improved public transport connectivity and shared paths. Non-drivers want to move independently around our region. Let primary carers get back to their professional work.

James Jackson
Trumpet of Patriots

Occupation: Telecommunications Supervisor / Veteran / Federal Candidate – Trumpet of Patriots

Resides: Gherang, VIC

How long have you lived in your electorate? I’m 44 years old. I was born in Geelong, lived in Drysdale growing up, and have spent the past 35 years living in Gherang.

What’s your involvement with the community? I served our nation in four overseas deployments as an Australian Army serviceman. Since then, I’ve worked in infrastructure across regional Victoria, supporting local workers, mentoring young tradespeople, and advocating for veterans. I attend local forums, listen to residents, and campaign for fairer treatment of everyday Australians.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? Yes, I’m the endorsed federal candidate for the Trumpet of Patriots.

Who are you preferencing? We encourage Australians to vote with their conscience, but we’ll preference candidates who put Australian values, sovereignty, and cost-of-living relief first.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? This is a grassroots campaign. I’ve received modest support from Trumpet of Patriots at the federal level, but no taxpayer funds. Most of my campaign is driven by volunteers and community support.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? Cost of Living – Locals are struggling. We’ll restore affordable energy and reduce wasteful spending.
Housing & Infrastructure – Support super-for-housing access and fast regional rail to improve housing affordability.
National Sovereignty – Cut unsustainable immigration, exit harmful global treaties, and prioritise Australians first.

Paul Barker
Libertarian Party

Occupation: Truck driver

Resides: Torquay

How long have you lived in your electorate? 9 years

What’s your involvement with the community? Play basketball, netball, cycle, part of the Torquay RSL, currently serving as a Surf Coast Shire Councillor consistently opposing rate increases and restrictions on liberty, engage with community groups when time allows

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? Yes, Libertarians

Who are you preferencing? That’s being negotiated at a national level.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? A bit of $10,000 from multiple donors. Always looking for more from those who want to spread the message of liberty further.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? Cost of living (cost of government), education and tax. We address these in our policy, A Libertarian Vision.

Mitch Pope
The Australian Greens

Occupation: Environmental campaigner and eco-tour guide

Resides: Ocean Grove

How long have you lived in your electorate? 12 years, since my early teens.

What’s your involvement with the community? I’ve been involved with the community through a number of different ways. When I was young it was playing footy with the Collendina Cobras, I have been doing photography and videography in the community since a young age, I was the president of the 13th Beach Board riders club in 2020/2021 and more recently I have been campaigning with the community to stop seismic blasting to protect our ocean and coastline.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? I am a candidate of The Greens.

Who are you preferencing? I’m encouraging people to Vote 1 Mitch Pope Greens, and then preference Labor anywhere above the Liberals to keep Dutton out.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? My campaign budget is roughly $5000, funded by donations to our local Corangamite campaign.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? The most important issues in the electorate are the climate and environmental crises, the housing crisis and rising cost of living. The Greens have a bold plan to address all three crises, by making the billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share of tax to fund the climate action and cost of living support we need which include ending native forest logging, stopping new coal and gas, electrifying homes with cheap & clean energy, putting dental into Medicare, making childcare and public schooling completely free and building more public and affordable housing.

Colin Seabrook
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation

Candidate did not respond by deadline

Libby Coker
Australian Labor Party

Occupation: Member of Parliament for Corangamite since 2019. Formerly a school teacher, businessowner and journalist.

Resides: Aireys Inlet

How long have you lived in your electorate? I’ve lived locally for about 35 years.

What’s your involvement with the community? I’ve been involved with community and sporting groups, including as a parent, a member of parliament and a former Surf Coast Shire mayor and councillor.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? Australian Labor Party.

Who are you preferencing? My how-to-vote card is currently available.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? Campaigning is a necessary part of the election process, and campaign funding will be fully declared at the required time in accordance with requirements under the Electoral Act.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? Every day, I’m talking to people across my electorate to hear what matters to them. It’s these conversations that shape our shared priorities for this region – investing in health, education, roads and rail, and importantly, cost of living relief for you and your family.
Whether it’s through tax cuts, energy bill relief, Free TAFE, cheaper medicines, Urgent Care Clinics in Torquay and Belmont, Labor is working hard to help make life more affordable.
And as our region continues to grow, so too must the infrastructure that connects us. That’s why Labor is delivering the next stage of the Barwon Heads Road upgrade, with more than $190m in funding locked in to make journeys smoother and safer.
Strong, connected communities also need great local facilities, and for many people, that starts with grassroots sport. That’s why Labor is delivering courts at a new Armstrong Creek Sports Centre, investing in an indoor pool at the North Bellarine Aquatic Centre, and upgrading Leopold’s sport precinct. And if re-elected, Labor will invest in upgrading Grovedale’s netball courts at Burdoo Reserve, Drysdale’s netball facilities, and a new home for soccer in Ocean Grove at Devlin’s Road Reserve.
This is important work, and it’s all part of Labor’s vision to build our region’s future.\

Harley Mackenzie
Legalise Cannabis Party

Occupation: Managing Director of HARD software, a local business supporting renewable energy.

Resides: Torquay

How long have you lived in your electorate? Nearly 10 years

What’s your involvement with the community? I’ve lived in Torquay and the Geelong area for about 25 years, supporting local climate and justice causes, and working with regional businesses in the energy and policy sectors.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? This is my first time running. I’ve never been a member of a major party — I chose Legalise Cannabis Party because its values align with civil liberty and reform.

Who are you preferencing? The Legalise Cannabis Party will determine the preferences. That said, our preferences lean toward progressive candidates and will be decided on principle, not deals — especially those supporting drug law reform, public health, and human rights.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? We’re running a low-budget, grassroots campaign with minimal party support. No corporate donors that I am aware of — just small contributions and a lot of personal and volunteer time and effort.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? Cost of living and housing affordability. Sensible, evidence-based cannabis reform. Regional investment in health, jobs, and climate resilience

Darcy Dunstan
Liberal Party of Australia

Resides:

Occupation:

How long have you lived in your electorate? I lived here as a child and returned to the Surf Coast three years ago to raise kids close to family, after serving over a decade in the military.

What’s your involvement with the community? I’m a volunteer firefighter with the Belbrae CFA, I was the previous Vice President of the Torquay RSL, and I also volunteer with the Modewarre Football Netball Club.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement? I joined the Liberal Party approximately 18 months ago because I was fed up with the current government’s failure to help people in our region – people like my mum, who was struggling to pay her power bills. I see this as democracy in action – everyday people stepping up when things aren’t working.

Who are you preferencing? That is a matter for the Party to recommend.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance? We have had great support from the local community, which has proudly hosted signs and donated to my campaign, and I thank every person who has supported me.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate?  Cost of living:
A Coalition Government will cut the petrol tax by 25 cents a litre, saving families with two cars $1,500 a year.
And we will deliver most Australians up to $1200 in tax relief when they lodge their tax return for the upcoming 2025-26 financial year.
Homeownership:
We’ll support first home buyers by allowing them to claim a tax deduction on their mortgage repayments, use their super to purchase a home, and buy with as little as a 5% deposit.
Infrastructure for our growing region:
A Coalition Government will scrap the Suburban Rail Loop because it does nothing for our region, and reinvest every dollar into vital infrastructure projects across Victoria and commit $20 billion to a Regional Australia Future Fund.