INDEPENDENT candidate for South Barwon Damien Cole is hoping the winds of change can blow him past both major parties and into office at November 24\u2019s state election.<\/p>\n
Mr Cole is a committee member of the Greater Torquay Alliance and said becoming the group\u2019s candidate (or a candidate generally) was \u201cnever part of the plan\u201d, but he decided to take it on regardless.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this is for the benefit of the community, I\u2019m happy to throw everything I\u2019ve got at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t consider myself a politician \u2013I will always consider myself, if I get elected, an elected community representative. I don\u2019t have necessarily the career aspiration mentality, I really want to help our community and people and our environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Cole said he had received messages of support from around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a grassroots movement; this is bigger than just one election campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s trying to get a movement from everyone, a grassroots movement from people to start standing up and going \u2018You know what? We can do better than this, and we deserve better than this\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a challenge, it\u2019s a challenge to the whole system, but it\u2019s something that\u2019s happening \u2013 people are sick of this two-party duopoly. People want change, and change for the benefit of the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I\u2019m doing is voicing what I\u2019m hearing on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
He cited independent Shepparton MP Suzanna Sheed as a model of how he would use his vote in Parliament if elected.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s got hundreds of millions of dollars for Shepparton because she\u2019s focused on looking after her community, and her community is her number one priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
He listed overdevelopment in Torquay, climate change \u2013 \u201cI think we\u2019re now in a climate emergency\u201d \u2013 gender equity and social wellbeing\u2013 \u201cthe fact we still have this gender inequality in 2018 in a prosperous country blows my mind, it\u2019s heartbreaking\u201d \u2013 and support for new jobs (particularly small business) as his key platforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
INDEPENDENT candidate for South Barwon Damien Cole is hoping the winds of change can blow him past both major parties and into office at November 24\u2019s state election. Mr Cole is a committee member of the Greater Torquay Alliance and said becoming the group\u2019s candidate (or a candidate generally) was \u201cnever part of the plan\u201d, […]<\/p>\n