Moorabool councillor Paul Tatchell is preparing to shake up the Ballarat election race.
Cr Tatchell confirmed last week he would run for the National Party in the July 2 federal election.
He will be the party’s first candidate in the area since 1987.
“If you had asked me four years ago if I would be running in a federal election I would have laughed,” he said.
Cr Tatchell, who only recently joined the National Party, said his two years as mayor of Moorabool and his time as councillor sparked his interest in contesting the seat of Ballarat.
“Have we moved forward in Ballarat? I want to bring some realism to the race,” he said.
“A fair alternative, that is what Ballarat needs.
“I think what has happened over a period of time is that it has become about the politics not the people.”
Cr Tatchell said regional areas had been forgotten in many political circles and he wanted to draw attention to issues such as health, education and jobs.
“We have one of the largest regional cities in Victoria and the hospital has been under-funded forever,” he said.
“They have done works but it doesn’t keep up with the needs.
“We have to do something about it.
“We have 15 new regional primary schools getting built but none in Ballarat or in Bacchus Marsh, where they are putting portables on carparks.”
– with the Ballarat Courier
