Meet Hawke’s candidates for the federal election

THE 2025 Australian Federal Election, which will determine the makeup of Parliament and the leadership of the nation for the next three years, is this Saturday 3 May.

Ahead of the election, the Times News Group sent a list of identical questions to all seven candidates in Hawke (either to their direct e-mail, or via their party).

Responses from candidates are on this page. We received no responses from Melanie Milutinovic (Family First) or Devon Starbuck (Legalise Cannabis Party).

For information on how and where to vote, head to aec.gov.au.

 

SAM RAE
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

OCCUPATION: FEDERAL LABOR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR THE ELECTORATE OF HAWKE.
RESIDES: BALLAN WITH MY PARTNER ZOE AND OUR THREE KIDS.
LIVED IN BALLAN SINCE THE ELECTORATE OF HAWKE WAS CREATED IN 2022. BEFORE LIVING IN BALLAN, I LIVED IN RIDDELLS CREEK, NOT FAR FROM SUNBURY, WITH MY FAMILY.

What’s your involvement with the community?
Zoe and I are raising our three kids here in Hawke. I live and work here, I’m a volunteer with my local CFA brigade, I play footy for the Melton Panthers Superules and my kids go to school here in our community. I spend every day fighting for our community, speaking with local community groups, and working to deliver better local outcomes. We’ve delivered two bulkbilled Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Hawke, $4 million for a new sports facility at Bacchus Marsh Rec Reserve, and a brand-new childcare centre in Ballan. We’ve also delivered energy bill relief, tax cuts, and cheaper medicines for our community.

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

Who are you preferencing?
My preference order can be found here: howtovote.org.au/hawke.

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

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate?
My three main priorities for our community are ensuring that everyone has access to good, local, bulk-billed healthcare, ensuring our community
has the infrastructure it needs and tackling the cost of living. That’s why I have worked hard to ensure Labor will deliver $1 billion to fix the Western Freeway, $25 million to build
the Bacchus Marsh Indoor Pool, key upgrades to local roads, more bulkbilling GPs and a range of cost-of-living measures, including new tax cuts, even cheaper medicines, more energy bill relief.

 

SARAH NEWMAN
VICTORIAN GREENS

OCCUPATION: RETAIL WAREHOUSE WORKER
RESIDES: SUNBURY
LIVED IN ELECTORATE 22 YEARS (4 YEARS BRIEFLY IN BURWOOD FOR UNIVERSITY). MY FAMILY MOVED TO SUNBURY WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD.

What’s your involvement with the community?
Student at St Anne’s Primary School and Salesian College Rupertswood. Involved in the music department as part of the choir and orchestra. 1st Sunbury Scouts. It was at this time that I realised that our community was missing a thriving arts community alongside our brilliant sporting groups. At the moment, I have to work so much to make ends meet that being more involved in the community isn’t accessible for me.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement?
Victorian Greens.

Who are you preferencing?
Vote 1 Greens if they believe we should be taxing billionaires and multinational corporations to fund the services that everyone needs: dental, mental health, Autism and ADHD assessments into Medicare, 50c public transport fares, free and universal education from childcare to university, wiping all student debt, rent caps and lower mortgages and seeing the GP for free.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance?
Campaign is entirely grassroots funded by supporters of the Greens. For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate? The cost of living crisis. Groceries are more expensive than ever, bulk billing GPs are nearly non-existent for the majority of the population, public transport is inaccessible for so much of our part of the state and both rents and mortgages are causing significant financial stress to people at every stage of their lives. Incomes aren’t keeping up with expense increases. A full time wage is no longer enough to live on.

 

SIMMONE COTTOM
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

OCCUPATION: ACCOUNTANT
LIVED IN ELECTORATE 36 YEARS. I’M A SUNBURY LOCAL THROUGH AND THROUGH. I WENT TO SALESIAN COLLEGE, AND GOT MY FIRST JOB AT THE SUNBURY BIG W. AND I CONTINUE TO LIVE IN SUNBURY TO THIS DAY.

What’s your involvement with the community?
I was a member of the youth Rotary group, Interact, and have volunteered for the Good Friday Appeal for the past 15 years. I sang in ‘Divine Divas’, a local community choir that visited local aged care homes.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement?
I am the Liberal candidate for Hawke.

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

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance?
I am grateful to my party for its financial support of my campaign.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate?
I’m meeting hundreds of locals in Hawke every day, and the top three issues they are talking to me about are Labor’s cost of living crisis, Labor’s neglect of our local roads and infrastructure, and the scourge of crime that Anthony Albanese has allowed to fester, without any action whatsoever. For too long, Labor has taken Melbourne’s west for granted. That’s why I’m campaigning in every corner of the electorate – talking to residents and getting things done for every part of Hawke, from Ballan to Bacchus Marsh, to Keilor, Bulla to Diggers Rest, Balliang, Melton, Eynesbury and Sunbury – so that we can get the voice we deserve in Canberra.

 

FIONA ADIN-JAMES
ANIMAL JUSTICE PARTY

OCCUPATION: SOCIAL SUPPORT WORKER
LIVED IN REGIONAL VICTORIA SINCE I WAS 15

What’s your involvement with the community?
In my work as a Social and Community Support Worker I am directly in touch with the needs of the community, who are demanding to stop being ignored by the major parties and for action on local infrastructure, such as Hopkins Road, Melton Highway, and the Palmers
Road Corridor north of the Western Highway and the electrification of the Melton line, which has been promised and promised for the last 40 years, time for action is now.

Are you associated with or have you been associated with a political party or movement?
I have been a member since 2019 and candidate for the Animal Justice Party since 2022.

Who are you preferencing?
Our how-to-vote recommendations will suggest voters preference the Legalise Cannabis Party, Greens, and the Australian Labor Party as the parties we believe have the next best policies for animals, people and our planet, but in our great system, everyone is entitled to choose their own preferences, but we hope you decide to give us your number 1.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance?
I am supported by donations and fundraising received by the Animal Justice Party. The Animal Justice Party does not receive donations from large corporate donors so we rely on our passionate members and supporters to help us contest elections.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate?
Accessible/affordable Housing for all. Companion Animal and Wildlife including a Medicare system for animals, Veticare. Fix the food system.

 

MATTHEW KATSELIS
ONE NATION

OCCUPATION: LOGISTICS WAREHOUSE ORDER SELECTION

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

Who are you preferencing? 2
S Cottom, 3 M Milutinovic, 4 D Starbuck, 5 F Adin-James, 6 S Rae, 7 S Newman.

What is your campaign budget? Are you receiving financial assistance?
Everything has been self funded. I’ve taken a punt on myself and One Nation.

For you, what are the three most important issues in your electorate?
Cost of living- One Nation will slash fuel excise in half so people will save 26 cents a litre over the three yearsOne Nation will also remove beer tax on licensed venues-Slash electricity
bills by 20% immediately. Immigration/Housing shortageAustralia is experiencing the biggest two-year population surge in the nation’s history under Labor’s record immigration. Australia is accepting about 7000 new arrivals per week, and
the national population has surged to 27 million. This includes about 2.3 million foreign workers, and more than 700,000 international students. All of these people need somewhere to live, absorbing the majority of available rental properties in the country. One
Nation would reduce demand for housing and rental accommodation in Australia by substantially lowering immigration to a level that can be sustained in the long term.
Ausnet towers- Farmers and Land owners in Hawke have had the news that they will have the Ausnet towers cut through their land. Majority of people don’t want it. The Labor government needs to find alternatives to cater for the people of Hawke.
Speaking with the operator of the Melton aerodrome. He stated that he will not be able to take off and land safely if these towers are installed. This impacts business and livelihoods.