Paul Barker to contest Corangamite for Libertarian Party

A SURF Coast Shire councillor who was recently successful in seeking re-election will contest Corangamite for the Libertarian Party in the coming federal election.

This will be Paul Barker’s second tilt at the seat, after he first contested the electorate in 2022 for the party, which was then known as the Liberal Democrats.

He said it was the “never-ending debt”, “never-ending taxes” and “never-ending regulations that stifle the community” that inspired him to again throw his hat in the ring, as he looks to “get the accounts back in order”.

“We’ve had recent announcements by both Labor and Liberal on massive federal funding commitments to issues that are somewhat national, but the problem is that these issues have been caused by excessive taxes and regulations which mean a lot of people can’t afford to put food on the table.

“Rather than continuing to rack up the national debt and increase taxes on people that aren’t even born yet, I’d rather focus on winding back the tax regulations so that we can create a future where kids aren’t born into $30,000 worth of national debt share.”

A Torquay local, Barker has served on the shire council since 2020, is the president of the Torquay RSL Sub-Branch, and has a wide-ranging work history that includes postings with the military and as a truck driver, sky diving instructor, and more recently the owner of a property maintenance business.

“I’ve got more than enough experience in a wide variety of fields to understand the impacts that government regulations and taxes are having on just about everyone,” he said.

He pointed to the cost-of-living as a key issue facing voters across the electorate, and said Libertarian policies provided a pathway toward lowering the cost of goods and services and ensuring the money people have in their pockets isn’t devaluing.

“If we think back to the last federal election to now, are people actually feeling any better?

“If the answer is no and we look at the causal factors of the problem, voting in the same causal factors isn’t going to fix it.

“I’m offering a different opportunity for people to vote for more choice and more opportunity and more prosperity for their family – or, we can have more of the same.”

Barker is now the fifth candidate to enter the race for Corangamite, joining the Liberal Party’s Darcy Dunston, the Greens’ Mitch Pope, Voices for Corangamite’s Kate Lockhart and incumbent Labor MP Libby Coker, who has held the seat since 2019.