MURRAY Plains independent candidate Andrea Otto says she has chosen to listen to her community rather than directors in a party backroom.
The Koroop mother, who works as a management accountant at Swan Hill Rural City Council, told the Gannwarra Times she was running for the very safe Nationals seat over “frustration”.
“We deserve better to be honest,” she said.
“We are treated a bit like second-class citizens in the regions. It doesn’t matter where you look, we aren’t alone. All of regional Victoria is in the same boat.
“I think it’s important to hold people to account when it comes to doing the job. We are missing out.”
Asked why northern Victoria was missing out, Ms Otto said it was “structural issues with how things happen”.
“For example, we pay twice as much rates as someone in the city, yet for properties half the value,” she said.
“That’s because in a city or urban area, you have got a small land base, large population base.
“We are the opposite here. We have smaller population rate base and more infrastructure – every town as a reasonably-sized pool and town hall and other things that councils have to pay for, so rates have to be higher in order to deliver services.”
Ms Otto said there was some “discontent” out there with the major parties.
“They make a lot of promises and don’t always deliver what they say they are going to,” she said.
“The other thing is people realise they want people to represent them, their values and their communities, not have some policy derived in the backroom of a party.”
If elected on November 26, Ms Otto said her intention was to have the community guide her in what decisions they want made.
“I did the streets of Echuca yesterday and that was great,” she said.
“I met people whose homes are still under water weeks later, because the road has a dip in it and can’t get the water out.
“Local councils don’t have enough money to maintain levee banks and enough drainage.”
Ms Otto outlined roads, rates, health care and childcare as her election platform.
“If you aren’t in a big town centre, you just don’t have access to childcare,” she said.
“It’s stifling the economy because if women were working they would be contributing.
“We also need to look at how we do childcare; it should sit under the education system and not in the profit, private space … no care should.”
The health of rivers was also a concern for Ms Otto, who had “strong feelings” about the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
“We have lost wetlands because water has been drained out, including Third Reedy Lake, to return water to the environment. That has killed a whole lot of cod.
“It’s ridiculous to have killed wildlife in a natural lake.”
Ms Otto also said the region should be leading the way with solar, but wasn’t because the lack of infrastructure to carry the electivity elsewhere.
“The government didn’t install panels on home roofs because they’re green, they did that in order to shore up the electricity grid so we didn’t have blackouts like South Australia were having at that time,” she said.
“It was for the grid, not because they are environmentally-friendly – don’t be fooled.
“I’m also worried about population going into our waterways and the loss of big trees from land clearing for new housing.”
With a big appetite for the environment, Ms Otto was asked why she didn’t nominate for the Greens.
“I didn’t want to have anything narrowed down in terms of policy,” she said.
“I want to run for community, not a party that dictates to me.”
Ms Otto was recently accused by Gannawarra Shire councillor Garner Smith of using local council to drive her election campaign.
She had been outspoken on social media about council supporting a petition to fly the rainbow flag in support of the LGBTIQA+, including the sharing of the petition link.
“How we treat the most vulnerable is a reflection of society,” she said.
“We need to raise the profile of the vulnerable, elderly, people living with a disability, single parents, anyone who is disadvantaged because of the colour of skin or who we chose to love. We need to address all of that.
“Diversity is so important because it brings together the best solutions from a broad range of thinking and ideas.”
Ms Otto grew up on the Mornington Peninsular and moved to the Gannawarra 30 years ago.
“I always thought I’d go back but what I loved about it was buried under suburbia,” she said.
“When I moved here 30 yeas ago, I rode gallopers at Spencer’s Bridge and the bush was amazing.
“It’s where I saw my first red belly snake in the middle of winter sunbaking and a blue kingfisher.
“It wedded me to the place, the beautiful natural environment we take for granted sometimes because it’s on our doorstep.”
Ms Otto is confident heading into the polls.
“People who know me know I will work hard in order to get the best result here,” she said.
“At the end of the day, if people don’t vote for me, that’s OK, I will go back to my job and life goes on.
“Hopefully it will send a message to whoever does win the seat that maybe they need to raise the bar.
“I’m an alternative vote, without a party, just for community.”
Coming up: Hear from the remaining four candidates – Cameron MacPherson (Family First Victoria), Katia Bish (Freedom Party of Victoria), Damien Hurrell (Labor) and Glenys Leung (Animal Justice Party).
