Greens announce Eureka candidate as McCracken steps away

THE Greens have announced emergency services worker and long-time community volunteer Sam McColl as the party’s candidate for Eureka in the November Victorian election.

In a statement, the Greens said Mr McColl has spent his adult life working in public service and community-focused roles, along with more than a decade volunteering in emergency and community services.

He will be campaigning on issues such as housing affordability and security, access to healthcare in regional areas, protecting local environments and waterways, and ensuring that everyday people have a say in decisions that affect their lives.

“I’ve lived in regional Victoria my whole life and this community means a lot to me,” Mr McColl said. “I want to make sure the voices of people here are actually heard in Parliament.

“I’m a renter, and I know how stressful it is when rents keep going up and you’re not sure how long you’ll be able to stay in the place you call home.

“That uncertainty is something too many people in Eureka are dealing with.”

He backs the party’s calls for stronger renters’ rights, limits on rent increases, higher minimum standards for rental properties, and measures to ensure that housing is used to meet community needs rather than as a purely profit-making investment.

Mr McColl also believes First Nations justice must be central to any vision for a fairer Victoria.

“We can’t talk about fairness or justice without listening to First Nations people and respecting their leadership, connection to Country and right to self-determination,” he said.

“Truth-telling and Treaty matter, and they need to be backed up with real action, not just words.”

Ballarat-based Liberal upper house member Joe McCracken, meanwhile, has made public his intention to quit politics.

He said he felt unable to fully commit to the job for another four years.

“I’ve been looking at where I am in life, and I want to focus on growing a family and looking after my health,” he said.

“Politics is a very demanding job and it deserves 100 per cent commitment. I can’t give that commitment for the next four years.”

Mr McCracken, a former Colac-Otway Shire councillor and mayor, was elected in 2022 and has been a Liberal Party member for more than 19 years.

He will serve out the remainder of his term but will resign as opposition cabinet secretary and assistant minister for education.