Independent has another tilt at Parliament

20/9/2018

Clare Le Serve

By Catherine Watson

VETERAN community activist Clare Le Serve has announced she will run as an independent candidate for Bass in the November state election.

Her second tilt at Parliament livens up the battle for the seat, which has been held by the Liberal Party for the past 16 years.

Ms Le Serve has a long history of grassroots community work within the Waterline communities. She has been a Bass Coast councillor since 2012, and served as mayor in 2012-13.

She stood as an independent in the 2014 state election with the express purpose of making the seat more marginal and achieved that by securing 11.4 per cent of the primary vote, almost all of it from the Liberal Party. Liberal candidate Brian Paynter had to rely on preferences to get him over the line.

The electorate’s change in status from safe to marginal has seen the ALP State Government announcing several long overdue projects in the current term, including a $115 million upgrade of Wonthaggi Hospital and a $32.5 million senior campus for Wonthaggi Secondary College.

In the 2014 campaign, Ms Le Serve campaigned against the then Liberal Government’s plans to establish a major container port at Hastings.

This time, she’s campaigning against AGL’s plans for a gas plant at Crib Point, which is supported by the current Labor State Government.

“Western Port is an internationally recognised natural gem; it shouldn’t be a dumping ground for Melbourne’s environmentally damaging projects. They wouldn’t let it happen at Brighton or St Kilda and they shouldn’t let it happen here.”

She will also be campaigning to “bring the train to Lang Lang” as the first stage in public transport improvements to serve the satellite townships and communities in Bass Coast and South Gippsland.

In the 2014 election, Ms Le Serve split preferences between the ALP and Liberal Party. She said she would talk to the other candidates before deciding whether to do so again or whether to direct preferences.

Sitting MP Brian Paynter will contest the seat for the Liberal Party. The ALP candidate is Jordan Crugnale, a former Bass Coast councillor colleague of Ms Le Serve who was mayor in 2015-16.

The Bass electorate includes Pakenham and the whole of Bass Coast. Rapid urban growth in Pakenham, with an influx of new residents, and a redistribution of the electoral boundary, are expected to favour the Labor Party.

12 Comments

Phyllis Papps

21/9/2018 11:28:05 am

AT LAST!!!!
Voters in the Bass Electorate NOW have a real choice in the forthcoming State Government elections in November.

Not based on tradition, or the way they voted in the past, or the way their family voted.

This time it's totally about major issues affecting the entire Bass Electorate.

It's not about one part of Bass, it's not about one year. It's all about the future of the Bass Electorate and it's many residents (young and old) for decades to come.

Mark Robertson

21/9/2018 07:41:48 pm

It is very pleasing to read that Clare is contesting the seat of Bass again. Her gentle poise, genuine caring nature, and formidable intellect will provide a welcome antidote to the excesses and-frankly disgusting- performances of state and federal, liberal , national and labour, politicians. All power to you Clare. It would be good to hear your wisdom regarding the AGL proposal - perhaps an informative article for the Post?

peter brown

22/9/2018 08:34:55 am

I was disappointed when Clare appeared to abandon
her Bass Coast constituents for several months to campaign in the 2014 state election.
The declared protection of Westernport from the alleged ravages of 'monster' container ships (even though large cargoes of oil have been safely shipped through the port for decades) did not stack up. The campaign was alarmist and inaccurate in many ways and it was a populist campaign without serious opposition. When 'citizen of the year' was awarded to the leader of that campaign by Clare's council, the politics of 'nimby' over reason was affirmed in my mind. The Victorian Labor Party was free to reject the Port of Hastings proposal as they had nothing to lose.
AGL's proposal to import gas through Hastings is hardly the business of Bass Coast Council. If Clare wishes to campaign on that or any other issue, for a position in another political house, she should first resign from her role as Bass Coast councillor.

Clare le Serve

25/9/2018 06:16:22 pm

In suggesting that to run for Bass I should have to resign my Council position Peter Brown demonstrates a lack of understanding of the process. There are clearly established rules under the Local Government Act that dictate how a councillor standing for election to the State Parliament must act. I acted strictly in accordance with those rules in 2014 and will do so this time. Rather than abandon my constituents I am delighted with the result for the Bass electorate and in turn for my Western Port Ward.
When I stood in 2014, Bass was held by the incumbent Liberal Member Mr Smith with a majority of 62%. I argued successfully in that campaign that safe seats lead to an area being ignored. This was evidenced by the total absence of State Government investment in Bass over the previous decade. Since making Bass marginal we have had the funding of a new secondary college and a new hospital in our regional centre of Wonthaggi. Bass is on the map thanks to the tireless effort of my team last time.
As for the Port of Hastings expansion, I am proud of my small contribution to that fight and applaud the work of the Preserve Western Port group. I was happy to support them because they are a group that does the work required to properly understand an issue before taking a stand. I would encourage that approach in Mr Brown. I note that Preserve Western Port are also opposing the AGL proposal to put in a liquefied natural gas facility at Crib Point and that they are taking the same thorough approach.
As for this being a NIMBY act well if you cannot take a stance on issues that will damage your backyard then what can you take a stand on? I will fight hard to retain the environmental integrity of Western Port and unlike other candidates I am not beholding to a party direction. The eco-tourism and recreational fishing potential for Western Port is of far more value to Bass than cheap short-term old carbon solutions to Australia’s energy problem.
The AGL proposal involves Australia exporting our gas overseas and re-importing it to Crib Point for local consumption. This is farcical and indefensible. The Australia gas market creates the problem, Australia’s high gas prices and a shortage results from how the gas market is manipulated. The cheap gas is being exported while the more marginal and more expensive gas is made available into the Australian market. How much cheaper would the Crib Point gas be if it was not shipped across the world twice to get here?
Finally to suggest that there was some interference in the ‘citizen of the year’ award is going too far, I was totally unaware of her nomination and there could be no more worthy community worker. To suggest otherwise is bad faith.

Kevin Chambers

8/10/2018 08:48:49 am

Instead of attacking folks that do their research before putting "keyboard to screen", perhaps Peter Brown should take a leaf out of their knowledge of the four comprehensive reports in the last five years that in summary say, "Dont touch Westernport".

And as for "Nimby", tell that to the millions of fisherman and tourists who come to Westernport from all over the world, that's one hellava big "backyard".

Walter Broussard

25/9/2018 01:54:54 am

I am extremely pleased that Clare is giving Bass voters an alternative independent choice.

She is right on the money about the AGL proposal and the Container Port; neither would have been considered for a millisecond off St Kilda or Brighton.

The government of the day (on their own estimates) proposed a Container Port at Hastings with 3,000 ships a year, each twice the length of the MCG and twice the height of the San Remo bridge passing through Westernport. That sounds like 'Monster' to me. Why risk stuffing up the wonderful environment of Westernport for that or the potentially dangerous AGL gas proposal?

Jeff Nottle

4/10/2018 01:44:39 pm

We again applaud Clare for having the energy and interest in our community to consider the environment for future generations. Governments and corporates are only too willing to treat Western Port as a place to exploit and industrialise. The container port campaign brought science and research to the inaccurate phrases and the usual conservative scare campaigns used by the proponents including "Natural deep port" "Blasting of the Port Phillip heads" and hundreds of jobs for locals. Melbourne University scientists, Victoria University school of logistics and marine scientists all used science and actual data to dispel these myths. Infrastructure Victoria took a science and fact led approach to the alternatives and concluded that locating the container port in Western Port made no economic, social or environmental sense. AGL are currently planning to remove 450,000,000 litres/day from Western Port and return it at a lower temperature and chlorinated back to the bay. If Councillors, State Parliamentary candidates and local residents ignore these issues who does Peter think should campaign against these concerns? Our community has Clare to thank for assisting this seat becoming marginal as well as tackling State issues at the same time. Well done Clare and our future generations will have you to thank for standing up to powerful, well financed and often destructive forces.

Alf

11/10/2018 12:09:24 pm

Yes well done If you lose do you still get your cushy job back as a Bass Coast Councillor. Oh what a democracy we have in Australia

Catherine Watson

12/10/2018 08:47:06 am

Alf, if you think it’s such a cushy job, perhaps you should nominate for the next election. As a reporter, I’ve observed many councillors on many councils over many years. It’s one of the least cushy jobs I can imagine: countless meetings, immense amounts of reading and study required, dealing with passionate residents, being subjected to aggressive and personal attacks.

Alf

12/10/2018 10:54:54 am

How interesting:” I would run for Council when Bass Coast Council starts to respect the World's oldest living culture…And Votes to move Australia Day Celebrations from January 26TH Celebrating Invasion and killing over sizzling barbecues is blatant racism. As a reporter you would know Councils around Australia are changing the date we all still suffer from the life draining, over legislated madness called British Australia, They expect us to join in their triumphant dances over our ancestors' graves on January 26 .. So don't talk to me about being aggressive with personal attacks.

Catherine Watson

12/10/2018 07:29:41 pm

Alf, Thank you for your comments to the Post. It sounds as if you have a legitimate grievance at Bass Coast Council’s failure to support the move to change Australia Day.

Rather than tack this on as a comment to a story which probably won’t be read (since it was published more than three weeks ago), how about writing a fresh piece for the Post on the subject of Australia Day?

I would welcome a piece from you explaining what Australia Day means to you as an indigenous person. And yes, I loved your comment about “the life draining, over legislated madness called British Australia”.
Catherine Watson
Editor, Bass Coast Post
[email protected]

Cr Geoff Ellis

26/10/2018 12:19:54 am

Hi Alf,

my email is

[email protected]

I am councils' delegated representative on the Bass Coast South Gippsland Reconciliation and would be very happy to receive emails from you on any topic.

I appreciate Editor Watson's comments re councillors' lives.

Geoff

Independent has another tilt at Parliament

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