By Catherine Watson

ELECTIONS have been fought on many momentous issues. The 2026 Victorian election is not one of those, at least not in the Bass electorate.

When Island Voice convened a Bass candidates forum at the Phillip Island RSL in Cowes last week many topics came up in question time but potholes seemed to arouse the most passion.

About 80 people gathered to hear from Chris Buckingham (Labor), Rochelle Halstead (Liberal), Nikole Schellekens (One Nation) and Chris Jobe (Victorian Socialists).

Greens candidate Sophie Thorn was working and couldn’t make it. She was represented by Mat Morgan, the party’s candidate for the Upper House seat of Eastern Victoria.

Halstead, a current Bass Coast councillor and former three-time mayor (two terms in Bass Coast and one in Frankston), is an experienced campaigner who should be feeling reasonably comfortable.

Jobe, a first-time candidate, disarmed the audience by admitting how nervous he was. “I am so far out of my comfort zone it’s ridiculous. I’m much more used to primary school students.” He grew more confident throughout the evening.

Schellekens, also a newcomer to state politics, was surprisingly relaxed, impressing with her knowledge of party policy and off-the-cuff responses. She was entirely comfortable admitting when she didn't know something or it wasn't covered by party policy. 

Morgan, a Bass Coast councillor who stood in the 2022 state and 2025 federal elections, was his usual relaxed and eloquent self.

As the candidate representing the governing party, Buckingham was in the most difficult position. It’s much easier for opposition candidates to promise to fix problems than for a government representative to defend its record.

Buckingham instead highlighted Labor’s achievements in Bass since 2018, including more than $200 million in spending on Phillip Island for schools, health hubs, the cultural centre and other projects. 

McDonald's on the menu

The first audience question was very much flavour of the month: did the candidates support McDonald’s coming to Cowes? 

As Bass Coast councillors, Morgan and Halstead declined to answer as they will be the ones deciding on the application. Buckingham didn’t respond.

With more than 1300 submissions opposing the proposed development, it was easy to go with the flow and Jobe described it as “awful for the community”.

Schellekens took the middle path. “McDonald’s isn’t a big, bad corporation in and of itself. It provides jobs and access to food. However, I do hear the community’s unrest about that. I’m not in a position to make a decision. … I guess we let the democratic process take its path.”

Sporting chance

Surprisingly, there was no mention of a Phillip Island aquatic centre, perhaps because long-time chief advocate Peter McMahon was keeping time.

These days, the hot topic is the Phillip Island Sporting Recreation Precinct. The Liberals have promised $10 million for the project if they form government, prompting Chris Ross, president of the Phillip Island Football Netball Club, to ask the other candidates whether they would match the commitment.

Schellekens said One Nation recognised the importance of sporting and community clubs but would need to examine the government’s finances first.

“There’s no way we can make that commitment until we get in there, check the books, trim the fat, then we’ll be able to get back to you with a figure.”

Jobe supported more sporting infrastructure but shared Morgan’s concerns about funding.

Potholes and politics

Tony Zoanetti raised the burning issue of the day, expressing concern about the safety of motorbike riders travelling to the MotoGP and asking Buckingham what the Labor Government was doing to fix the roads.

Buckingham said Premier Ben Carroll had announced $4 billion in the forward estimates – $1 billion a year – to fix the potholes and acknowledged the government had got it wrong. 

It was a good move, showing humility and an intent to put things right, and he might have been wise to stop there.

Instead he added: “The situation in Bass is nowhere near as bad as it is in Western and Northern Victoria … I can tell you now that people in the west of the state have been putting up with bad roads for years.”

When it was Schellekens’ turn, she pounced.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t want to hear what’s happening out west. I live in Bass, and that’s the electorate that I’m here to represent.”

Loud applause.

Schellekens said One Nation had a pothole plan that would list every pothole in the state, allowing the public to see what had been fixed and what hadn’t.

Halstead said potholes were the biggest issue raised by people she met on the campaign trail.

Treaty divides the room

Halstead and Schellekens reiterated their parties’ policies to abolish the Treaty between the Victorian Government and First Nations.

In response to a question, Halstead denied the move was racist.

“Treaty is going to cost our community $1 billion-plus at a time when we are all struggling with cost of living. It’s time to tighten our belts, and this is one way of trying to do that.”

Loud applause.

Schellekens claimed Victorians had overwhelmingly rejected Treaty and said One Nation was moving towards genuine reconciliation.

“We want to be, and we will be, one nation, one people under one flag. That’s the true reconciliation we need. Everyone working together for the same common good under the Australian flag.”

Loud applause.

It was Buckingham’s turn to correct her. 

“Treaty is a 10-year process with enormous commitment by both the Aboriginal people and the Victorian Government,” Buckingham said. “The referendum was about the Voice. It’s a totally separate process.” 

Coastal erosion

Ken Haley asked candidates whether they supported the protection of public and private assets from coastal erosion. 

Morgan called it his number one advocacy priority, warning that rising seas were putting homes at risk of becoming uninsurable and undermining property values.

Jobe blamed successive governments for failing to act on a problem that had been foreseeable for decades, saying the lack of protection for public and private assets was “a shame on both governments that have been in power for the last 40 years”.

Halstead backed a national framework, while Schellekens said she needed to examine the costs and complexities before committing either way.

Buckingham agreed that all three levels of government needed to work together, but argued that frameworks alone would achieve little without action on fossil fuels, habitat loss and vegetation clearing.

Immigration and healthcare

Asked how Australia could bring in overseas healthcare workers to address immediate staffing shortages in regional areas, the candidates offered different perspectives.

Morgan said housing shortages were a major barrier to attracting healthcare workers to Bass Coast. “There is a huge lack of affordable housing for working age people in Bass Coast.”

Jobe supported skilled migration but argued that rebuilding public services was also essential.

“With an ageing population, I think that's a perfectly excellent thing to bring people into this country who can do those jobs and bring extraordinary cultural value to our country.”

Halstead supported immigration to fill essential jobs but said existing healthcare workers also needed better support.

“Yes, there will need to be some migration if we're going to all be kept healthy.”

Other questions covered candidate preference directions, plans for the Nobbies centre, candidates’ credentials on law and order, the Indigenous population count in the Bass electorate, family violence, the Premier’s private office, reducing the speed limit on the Cowes-Rhyll Road to reduce roadkill, and Gina Rinehart’s donation of an aeroplane to One Nation.

'Vote for me!'

And then it was time for candidates to make their final pitch to voters:

Buckingham appealed to his experience and community involvement, promising to work constructively with others. “As your Labor MP, if you choose to elect me, I will work constructively with everyone, I will treat everybody with respect, and I’ll get stuff done.”

Morgan turned his attention to the Upper House, where he is seeking election for Eastern Victoria, and called for an end to corporate influence in politics. “The way to do that is to get money out of politics, and get at least one person in Eastern Victoria who doesn’t take corporate donations sitting in the Upper House, holding whichever major party makes it into government to account.”

Schellekens urged voters to break away from the major parties. “We’ve been on this Labor-Liberal rollercoaster for a very long time, and the one question I would pose to you all is: are you happy with where we’ve ended up?”

Jobe put capitalism itself on trial. “So how’s capitalism going for you? The need to make a profit out of absolutely everything, including our public services, it’s not going well.”

Halstead emphasised her experience in local government and called for a change of government. “Who has the experience to run government? Who can you put your faith in? … Come on, Victoria. It is time for a fresh start, under Jess Wilson.”