Leonard to contest Monash after V4M preselection
Phillip Island lawyer Deb Leonard will contest her second election for the Federal seat of Monash as an independent candidate after being preselected by the Voices for Monash group.
Ms Leonard, from Cape Woolamai, won a ballot for the preselection from fellow Phillip Island resident Tim O’Brien of Ventnor.
Registered members of Voices for Monash (V4M) voted online to choose an independent candidate for the election, due to be held next year, after presentations by both nominees at a function in Inverloch that was also live streamed.
Ms Leonard previously stood as a V4M supported candidate in Monash at the 2022 election.
V4M earlier this year received funding from Climate 200, an organisation founded by businessman Simon Holmes à Court in 2019 to encourage “climate focused” independent candidates at the 2022 election. But, Ms Leonard said her advocacy as an independent would be based on what the local community wanted, especially in regard to any potential locations of wind and solar electricity generation projects in Monash.
She stressed there were “no strings attached” to the support provided by Climate 200 and she would not be a rubber stamp for any proposals.
“It’s about listening to the views of people on the ground and making sure the community is heard,” she said.
Ms Leonard said she would begin an extensive program of community consultation, including doorknocking and “town hall” meetings, leading up to the election, with a focus on what people want in protecting their communities and the region’s food bowls and farmers.