By Esther Lauaki
Melton and Moorabool voters head to the polls this weekend with a choice of 24 candidates across three electorates.
Voters in the Melton electorate, which takes in towns from Bacchus Marsh to Eynesbury, will have the greatest choice with 12 nominated candidates including independents Grant Stirling, Ian Birchall and Daryl Lang.
Among the independent candidates are Moorabool councillor Jarrod Bingham as well as Melton mayor Bob Turner and councillor Sophie Ramsey.
Former Ambulance union boss Stephen McGhie was a last-minute nomination for Labor after the endorsed candidate Justin Mammarella left the race in recent weeks.
Ryan Farrow will run in Melton for the Liberals, Harkirat Singh for Greens, Victor Bennett for the Democratic Labour Party, Ron Guy for the Victorian Socialists and Tania Milton for the Animal Justice Party.
Sitting independent MP Don Nardella is not running.
There are four candidates nominated for the safe Labor seat of Kororoit which includes Burnside, Burnside Heights Ravenhall and Rockbank, parts of Caroline Springs, Mount Cottrell, Plumpton and Truganina.
Incumbent Labor MP Marlene Kairouz will contest the seat against the Liberals’ Golam Haque, Greens candidate Rohan Waring and the Animal Justice Party’s Katherine Divita.
In Buninyong, which includes Ballan, Bungaree, Buninyong, Elaine, Gordon, Lethbridge, Mount Egerton and Maddingley, there are eight candidates. They are Andrew Kilmartin for the Liberals, Michaela Settle for Labor, Linda Zibell for the Greens, Jane McKendrick for the Victorian Socialists and Wendy Morrison for the Animal Justice Party.
Lindsay Watters, Dianne Colbert and Brendan Eckel are all running independently.
Incumbent Labor MP Geoff Howard is not running.
