By Olivia Condous
The Greens Party have announced their new candidate for the Eureka electoral district, a redistributed seat which encompasses most of the Moorabool Shire, in the lead up to the state election in November.
In a statement from the party, it was announced that Sam McColl will run for the seat and advocate for housing reform, renewable energy and anti-corruption standards as key issues.
The seat of Buningyong will now be known as Eureka and take in the western suburbs of Ballarat and the seat of Eureka will now be known as Wendouree.
The seat of Buninyong, which will make up the majority of the seat of Eureka, is currently held by Labor MP Michaela Settle.
At the 2018 state election, the Labor Party won 42.8 per cent of first preference votes counted in Buninyong, while the Greens Party had 10 per cent.
The statement from the Greens Party criticized the Labor Party’s “egregious” behaviour, exposed through a recent report from the Victoria corruption watchdog, and said the Greens Party planned to introduce strong anti-corruption standards into parliament.
Mr McColl ran for the seat of Mallee in the federal election earlier this year, a seat that encompasses Mildura, Swan Hill and Horsham, but only received 5.3 per cent of the vote.
He works in Ballarat as a venue and events manager at the Ballarat Mechanics Institute.
Mr McColl highlighted the impact of rising rental costs on young people, stating that the Greens also planned to strengthen renter rights, control rent increases in line with wage growth and establish a Housing Ombudsman.
“My rent swallows up over a third of my weekly income, and I am worried that any rent rise may mean that I can no longer afford to live locally,” Mr McColl said.
“This is also the situation for many who live in the area… Victoria needs a housing system that puts people before profit.”
