
Current Member Cathy McGowan (@indigocathy) won the safe Liberal seat by a mere 439 votes (0.5{17ac88c265afb328fa89088ab635a2a63864fdefdd7caa0964376053e8ea14b3} margin) from, Sophie Mirabella in 2013. McGowan is supported by grassroots community group Voices For Indi (@voicesforindi).
At the 2016 election, McGowan again beat Mirabella, increasing her margin by 4.4{17ac88c265afb328fa89088ab635a2a63864fdefdd7caa0964376053e8ea14b3}.
McGowan is not re-contesting the seat and is supporting Voices for Indi backed independent candidate Helen Haines (@HelenHaines1).
4.9{17ac88c265afb328fa89088ab635a2a63864fdefdd7caa0964376053e8ea14b3} margin vs LIB
Area: 29,187 sq km
Location: North East Victoria
Australian Electoral Commission seat profile
Division of Indi on Wikipedia
Crossbench shares common ground not votes: @indigocathy comments on #IndiVotes leadership and #IndependentsDay hopes for @HelenHaines1
Helen Haines: website
Cathy McGowan: website
Advance ‘No’ working with far right activist who made online threat against Burney, Haines and attendees of #Yes23 Wodonga event
THE ADVANCE ‘NO’ prepoll team in Benalla is working with far right activist, Mark Mack who threatened the Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, the Member for Indi Helen Haines and attendees of a Yes23 event in July at Wodonga. Yes23 Director Dean Parkin was also at the event and the online threat, posted in […]
Fringe group led by ‘far right white nationalist’ says Deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie’s office provided official ‘No’ campaign material
A FAR RIGHT Benalla group claims the office of the Deputy Nationals leader, Senator Bridget McKenzie provided the group with Coalition campaign material. A member of the group A Stand in the Park Benalla (ASIP Benalla) made the claim in a video posted on Facebook. The group’s leadership includes Bruce Evans, a self-described far right […]
Benalla raises its #Voice for ‘Yes’ as ‘No’ goes low
ON WEDNESDAY EVENING 80 to 100 people gathered to hear, Senator Jana Stewart, Helen Haines MP and Shepparton Councillor Greg James make ‘The Case For Yes’ in Victoria’s north east at The Glasshouse, hosted by Benalla for Yes. Benalla for Yes is one of the hundreds of supporter groups scattered around the nation holding footpath […]
SPEECH: Nova Peris makes powerful case for #Voice
AFL LEGEND AND anti-racism campaigner, Michael Long on Monday told a crowd gathered at Marmungun Rock (Apex Park), Wangaratta a “contingent” will be sent to London seeking support for the ‘Yes’ campaign from, King Charles III. Long is on The Long Walk to Canberra and he was joined by Nova Peris. In 1996 as part […]
AFL legend Michael Long says delegation to visit King Charles III seeking support for #Voice ‘Yes’ campaign
AFL LEGEND AND anti-racism campaigner, Michael Long on Monday told a crowd gathered at Marmungun Rock (Apex Park), Wangaratta a “contingent” will be sent to London seeking support for the ‘Yes’ campaign from, King Charles III. I’m gonna call on the head of the Commonwealth, I’m calling on King Charles. Your mother was a great […]
Facebook fringe group campaigning ‘No’ #Voice breaks electoral law – #IndiVotes
A radical far right group called A Stand in the Park Benalla (ASIP Benalla) whose members include anti-vaxxers, white supremacists and WiFi conspiracy theorists are campaigning against a Voice to Parliament using campaign material that does not comply with the Electoral Act – none is “appropriately authorised“. Primarily an anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown group, ASIP Benalla […]
PODCAST: Political participation #TheIndiWay, in paperback
IN THIS No Fibs episode I talk with Phil Haines and Lesley Howard, two of the 12 authors of the recently published book, THE INDI WAY. “THE INDI WAY is a revealing account of a community using values-based, respectful processes to rewrite the political playbook. Featuring contributions by @helenhainesindi, @latingle, @barriecassidy, @Indigocathy, and more.” Scribe […]
Here’s to #IndiVotes for electing scintillating rural women to lead the winning charge for a strong #NACC
A word from Margo IN HER SECOND term Cathy McGowan tabled in Parliament a bill to create a Federal Integrity Commission. In 2013, when McGowan won Indi as a Community Independent, Labor and the Coalition had no policy to enact a federal ICAC to clean up Canberra, and the Greens’ attempts in the Senate had […]
PODCAST: #IndiVotes campaign manager Phil Haines talks ‘new power’
IN THIS EPISODE, Margo Kingston talks with founding member of Voices For Indi, Phil Haines. He was Cathy McGowan’s campaign manager when she defeated then Member for Indi, Sophie Mirabella and in 2016 when she again defeated, Mirabella standing as the Liberal candidate. Phil is married to the current Member for Indi, Helen Haines and […]
From not voting to volunteering for Helen Haines and the #IndiVotes campaign: Lisa Turner’s story
PRIOR TO JANUARY of this year I’d had no real interest in being involved in election campaigning or politics in general. I had always been somewhat of a fence sitter when it came to politics, having come from a family of ‘rusted on’ Liberal arty eccentrics. It didn’t fill me with much enthusiasm, conviction or […]
#IndiVotes Lib caught in ACL ‘lies’ – NSW Nats spam #NichollsVotes
THE LIBERALS AND Nationals are getting down and dirty in the final days of the campaign in Nicholls and Indi with dodgy robocalls and text messages, billboard misinformation and culture wars. Independent MP for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, has hit back at a torrent of “fears and smears” from the Liberal Party and their proxies […]
Nationals #IndiVotes candidate tells Herald Sun forum there is no climate emergency
DURING A RECENT Herald Sun internet forum Indi’s National candidate, Liz fisher said, “climate change is not an emergency – net zero 2050 is over 25 years away, it’s over a quarter of a century away”. There were only three candidates invited to the Herald Sun forum hosted by Joe Hildebrand: Liberal Ross Lyman, Fisher […]
PODCAST: Benalla community meet their #IndiVotes candidates at local forum
Listen A CROWD OF around 150 locals gathered at the Benalla Lakeside Community Centre to meet their Indi candidates. Victorian Senate independent candidate, Susan Benedyka attended the event but was not allowed to participate because Liberal Senator, Greg Mirabella did not attend. Benedyka is a founding member of Voices for Indi and a potential threat […]
Haines declares orange ‘indivisible’ as #IndiVotes braces for Liberal onslaught
LAST SATURDAY NIGHT preparing for Helen Haines’ Sunday campaign launch – the forth campaign for a community independent here – I reflected on the Morrison shit-show (a firestorm on Twitter) and on the privilege it’s been watching the people of Indi repeatedly reject rubbish representation in Canberra. Cathy McGowan’s 2013 win wasn’t just about the […]
SPEECH: There is nothing more powerful than a community that has found its voice #IndiVotes
WELL HELLO… HELLO Indi! It’s literally incredible to be in the same tent as all of you. It is incredible to be here in Wodonga at this amazing Wodonga hub. I’d like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the lands across my large electorate of Indi—the lands of the Wavereoo, the Wiradjuri, the […]
THREAD: Helen Haines asks #IndiVotes to vote for integrity, justice and what is right
Judy Brewer welcomes us to the party, except there is no party here, this is the home of community based #independents in Australia: engaged, innovative politics, tackling challenges that are complex and hard. — dr arnagretta hunter (@cbr_heartdoc) April 3, 2022 Next up local builder Dale talks about housing affordability, the growing challenges of this […]
Helen Haines seconds Andrew Wilkie’s Bill to ‘clean up political donations’ #IndependentsDay
Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Cleaning up Political Donations) Bill 2022 THANK YOU, MR Speaker. I second this bill and commend the Member for Clark its introduction. As an independent, transparency and integrity are at the heart of what drives me and the people who put me here. Political access and influence should never be for sale. […]
Helen Haines introduces Cheaper Home Batteries Bill seconded by Zali Steggall #IndependentsDay
Just now, I tabled the Cheaper Home Battery Bill 2022 in the Parliament. This is a Bill that will lower power bills, boost energy security in the regions, and drive a faster and smoother transition to renewables. Here are the details ⬇️ — Helen Haines MP (@helenhainesindi) February 13, 2022 Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment (Cheaper […]
SERIES FINALE: Passing the baton, #NewPower, staying power and the courage muscle
WITH THE POSSIBILITY that Cathy McGowan may retire at the end of her second term and without any apparent evolution in the political style of the Liberal Party in Indi, V4i once again became interim custodians of the political rail of the ladder. To not do so could see Indi returned to being a political […]
UPDATE: Rural Victorian #IndependentsDay electorates that can give Morrison curry
WHILE BARNABY JOYCE has been getting to know the real Scott Morrison, Mallee and Nicholls have been preparing the ground to, as the Indi mob say, rust-off. Alex Dyson in Wannon, who I think will be a big mover, launched his campaign over the weekend in a low key affair. The Haines Indi campaign hubs […]
SERIES: The long days of counting #ReportingIndi 2013 part 4
Intro – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 THE MORNING AFTER the election I woke up in the Wangaratta homestead of farmer Phil Haines, Cathy’s campaign manager, his partner Helen and son Nick. While Phil began making breakfast for the after-party Ben McGowan, Cathy’s nephew, arrived with the news that the preliminary pre-poll vote count […]
SERIES: Winning on ethics and integrity, Indi’s #NewPower part 5
“The Liberal Party seems not to have learned its lesson in Indi. On Saturday we caught a glimpse of their strategy to try and win back the seat at the next election. And surprise, surprise – it’s a negative one. The credibility of the campaign has now been put on trial by the Murdoch media.” […]
SERIES: Election night and it is an orange party #ReportingIndi 2013 part 3
Intro – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 THE LAST TIME I reported on the ground on election night was in 1998 in Ipswich, where Pauline Hanson relied on reporters to explain what the television numbers meant in the seat of Blair and I had to explain to distraught supporters that she’d lost even […]
SERIES: Indi shares #NewPower part 4
“It is people on the ground that are the most powerful force imaginable. Without a groundswell of motivated volunteers, without an engaged and enraged community, change is nearly impossible. And so, as democracy should be, the decisions will be made by the community.” Rebekha Sharkie, Member for Mayo IT HAD BEEN a wild ride and […]
SERIES: Indi’s day of choice #ReportingIndi 2013 part 2
Intro – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 WAYNE PICKS ME up early the next morning for a drive to Benalla for Voice for Indi’s ‘open day’ to discuss the movement’s future. We reminisce about election day. Cam Klose, Cathy’s media advisor, had emailed asking whether I was coming to Indi on September 7. […]
SERIES: Politics of the common good #NewPower part 3
SOPHIE MIRABELLA FAILED to read the sign posts and summarily dismissed V4i’s invitation to be involved in the kitchen table conversations. Had she reflected upon that meeting in late December, 2012 she may have come to the realisation that her electorate was indeed interested in politics. After all, constituents of hers were standing in front […]
SERIES: On citizen journalists, candidates and campaigners #ReportingIndi 2013 part 1
Intro – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 WAYNE JOINED TWITTER early and became a Twitter warrior, a left-wing political junkie regular on its hard-core #auspol hashtag. I’d tweeted several times with increasing desperation for a citizen journalist to report Indi for No Fibs. I’d spoken to Wayne but had a sinking feeling when he […]
SERIES: Doing politics differently #NewPower part 2
THE GROUP CONTINUED to meet for months at the Wangaratta library to brainstorm how they could reinvigorate the electorate and their political representation. Mirabella’s reputation was such that the members felt intimidated to publicly express their political misgivings and for a long time these meetings were held discretely and unannounced to the wider community. Given […]
SERIES INTRO: A reflection on #ReportingIndi 2013
Intro – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 I TAKE THE Gold Coast train to Brisbane airport, the plane to Melbourne, the sky bus to Southern Cross Station, the train to Seymour, and the bus to Wangaratta train station. Wayne Jansson leads me to his battered old car and drives me to the hamlet […]
SERIES: A voice for Indi #NewPower part 1
VARIOUS EXPLANATIONS FOR Cathy McGowan’s election as the first independent member for Indi in 2013 have been put forward and most have centred around the personality and pursuits of Sophie Mirabella, the previous Liberal incumbent. Many ‘after the fact’ commentators viewed what happened in Indi as a quirk, an exception, a moment in time; that […]
The birth of ‘Voices for’ and citizen journalism: inside #IndiVotes
SO HERE WE ARE amid an explosion of the ‘Voices for’ movement as one strand of a now crowded, largely uncoordinated drive to reinvent politics on the right and, more broadly, to redefine the meaning of political representation in federal politics. The No Fibs mission this election is to cover ‘Voices for’ community #IndependentsDay candidates on the […]
TRANSCRIPT: Haines calls for strong Federal Integrity Commission before election
WE HAVE WAITED too long for an integrity commission. I have watched scandal after scandal go uninvestigated, with no independent watchdog on the beat. Each day that we delay is another day of deterioration of trust in this place, and among the Australian people. Each day, it becomes harder to claw back that trust. There […]
Cathy McGowan #HumeVotes speech: #IndependentsDay an opportunity for a “better choice”
My talk covers 3 main topics: The opportunity in front of us today. Linking the Indi experience to that of the Hume electorate and why I believe it’s possible for you to be successful, and A call to action The opportunity is this. To feel pride in your country. To feel proud of your community. […]
Woulda, coulda, but didn’t: walking the #ClimateAction talk
COMMENT: Before jetting off to Glasgow via Rome, Scott Morrison was in full ‘fatherhood’ mode. As prime minister he pledged to shield the nation from the nasty side effects of committing to net zero emissions; and the cherry on top is that we’ll benefit from all the economic opportunities on offer. Maybe we’re even front […]
Reclaiming local politics: a national movement of unity
COMMENT: When Cathy McGowan’s team chose – with permission – a re-write of ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’ as their 2013 campaign song, it left me feeling a little uncomfortable. Incumbent Sophie Mirabella’s boycott of the apology to the stolen generation loomed large as a factor for the involvement of some key players in […]
From Indi to #IndependentsDay: my #ActiveDemocracy journey
PODCAST: Haines rejects Liberal “Protection Commission” on #transitzone
Integrity in government and a robust Federal Integrity Commission is supported by a clear majority of Australian citizens including in those Liberal-held seats where centre-right independent candidates are targeting the incumbents across Australia. However, the Morrison Government is deeply reluctant to legislate for such an independent, robust federal body. Independent Member for Indi in regional […]
Parliamentary Standards Bill can make politics safer for women says @helenhainesindi: @jansant reports #March4Justice
Independent Member for Indi Helen Haines (@helenhainesindi) discusses the Parliamentary Standards bill she introduced into the Parliament during 2020 and how it could help make Parliament a safer workplace for women. Commonwealth Parliamentary Standards Bill 2020 Australian Federal Integrity Commission Bill 2020 Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020) *Apologies: during the interview with Helen […]
Women are fleeing Liberal Party culture, now a new door is opening to enter our federal Parliament, by @margokingston1
“This place attracts and rewards narcissists, and many narcissists are sociopaths,” a ‘Coalition figure with a long history working in Parliament’ told ABC reporter Andrew Probyn last week. Hard truth last month on who and what our political parties pick for us when we follow the brand not the person. Brittany Higgins’ steel-eyed testimony saw […]
Seven months that changed Australian politics: @drkerrynphelps #GettingElected speech at #indivotes @indigocathy’s #IndependentsDay conference
Also read: How the pop-up @DrKerrynPhelps campaign for Wentworth came together: a @margokingston1 dinner party debrief The role of people, preferences, policies, politics and power in Wentworth from October 2018- May 2019 AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION 1999-2003 The Wentworth by-election was not my first foray into the Federal political arena. In 2000 I was elected as […]
How the pop-up @DrKerrynPhelps campaign for #WentworthVotes came together: a @margokingston1 dinner party debrief
Also: Reporting Indi: A reflection by Margo Kingston My interest in community independents began when I covered the successful Cathy McGowan race for Indi in 2013, on Twitter and through my website No Fibs. In 2018, I became Kerryn Phelps’ unofficial Twitter campaign manager for the Wentworth by-election and focused on independents at the 2019 election, […]
Fight the #ClimateEmergency and you might even win #ausvotes: @jansant comments on #ClimateElection
What if there was a climate emergency and the major party’s didn’t turn up? If you listen to many in mainstream media – what climate election? But they’re dead wrong. The Coalition and Labor Party failed to turn up – others didn’t and won victories or made strong inroads into the Coalition primary vote – […]
Election day 2019 in the orange seat of #IndiVotes in photos: @jansant reports
Helen Haines, optimistic about tomorrow: @margokingston1 #IndiVotes #podcast
Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) catches up with Independent candidate Helen Haines (@HelenHaines1) while on the road in the Victorian electorate of Indi for the final No Fibs #IndependentsDay podcast before the federal election. They discuss Helen’s recent panel appearance on ABC’s QandA, and how it appeared to spook the opposition. As Margo notes, a couple of […]
Captain GetUp saving #IndiVotes from itself: @Jansant comments on #AusVotes
Prime Minister Scott Morrison dropped into Wangaratta on Wednesday this week for a quick press conference but did not take any questions from media — nothing to see here. This follows Tuesday’s visit to the same Indi battleground by far-right climate change denial group Advance Australia’s Captain GetUp — and there was definitely something to […]
Nat senator sees ‘great hoax’ in #ClimateAction: @Jansant reports on @senbmckenzie #IndiVotes
At pre-poll in Wangaratta on Saturday, Senator Bridget McKenzie refused to provide the cost to our economy of not taking swift and decisive action against climate change. I asked McKenzie what the economic cost of not taking fast action against climate was:- Bridget McKenzie (BM): Our country set very ambitious emission targets.No Fibs (Me): But […]
Lib @SteveForIndi won’t come clean on dirty coal, collusion: @jansant reports on #IndiVotes
The Liberal candidate for Indi Steve Martin has refused to answer questions about his campaign’s collusion with Cory Bernardi’s far right Australian Conservatives, or his support for brown coal power stations, when asked at Wodonga pre-poll on Saturday. No Fibs: So you’re refusing to answer any questions on anything, is that it?Martin: Yes that’s right. […]
Unlocking the potential of #ClimateAction: @HelenHaines1 comments on #IndiVotes
Something has changed this election. I’ve lived in the North East for 33 years and have a pretty good sense of the usual issues discussed on lunch breaks and at dinner tables in our communities. As I’ve travelled around Indi these past few months, there’s been a shift. The issue people have raised with me […]
‘Business as usual’ killing communities: Border Doctors’ letter to #IndiVotes and #FarrerVotes
A group of medical practitioners known as Border Doctors have made a direct call for funding to end metropolitan/regional health disparities in the communities of the NSW-Victorian border electorates of Farrer and Indi. The doctors signing this letter believe that we need fundamental change in the way health resources are distributed. Medicare spending and state […]
Exclusive: @SteveForIndi’s Libs caught colluding with @corybernardi’s @AuConservatives: @jansant reports on #IndiVotes
Liberal Indi candidate Steve Martin’s campaign is working with Cory Bernardi’s far right Australian Conservatives. In Wangaratta, at least, Martin’s campaign team is setting up for both parties at pre-poll. No Fibs received a tip that local Liberal Greg Mirabella was setting up pre-poll for Bernardi’s Senate candidate most mornings and their A-frame signs were […]
The Liberal campaign in #KooyongVotes an #AusVotes dinosaur: @adropex reports #ActiveDemocracy
Cutting his parliamentary teeth in the Tony Abbott opposition of the 43rd Parliament, Josh Frydenberg could be excused for thinking that with a blue-ribbon seat and a bit of judicious backing in the leadership spills he was set for life. Certainly, since winning the seat of Kooyong in 2010, his rise through the Liberal Party […]
Lib @steveforindi rejection of Uluru Statement from the Heart ‘misleads’ #IndiVotes: @jansant reports
Liberal candidate for the Victorian electorate of Indi Steve Martin has rejected the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for a First Nations Voice to be enshrined in the Constitution. At the Mansfield candidates forum earlier this week, he said:- I don’t support creating a separate government or level of government [interjection from questioner: […]
Lib #IndiVotes @SteveForIndi hides political Facebook posts after winning preselection: @jansant reports
According to regular social media observers, Liberal candidate for the Victorian electorate of Indi Steve Martin set his Facebook page to private shortly after winning preselection. Martin’s Facebook account appears to have been dormant for a very long time. This seems odd for a person of Martin’s age, so No Fibs recently posed several questions […]
Lib #Indi candidate in deep #ClimateChange conflict: @jansant reports on @steveforindi #IndiVotes
Indi Liberal Party candidate Steve Martin’s belief in the science behind human-induced climate change is in serious doubt after giving a series of conflicting answers to questions on the issue as the federal election approaches. In February, Martin told ABC Goulburn Murray he believed in the science supporting human-induced climate change, but at a forum […]
Long walk to Canberra @ExtremelyMy’s call for #AusVotes #ClimateAction: @jansant reports on #IndiVotes
Melbourne man Shannon Loughnane is walking from Melbourne to Canberra on My Extremely Long Walk For Climate Action to draw attention to the dangers of not taking meaningful action against climate change. No Fibs caught up with him at Violet Town in #IndiVotes a week after his walk began. Loughnane said he’s walking between 10 […]
A successful #IndependentsDay is like winning Eurovision: @adropex reviews #GetElected #ActiveDemocracy
Pale, male and stale The political class ‘is on the nose’ and trust in our politicians is going into a deep dive. Parliament is seen as being dominated by “personalities, parties and pecuniary interests”. People are tired of the scandals, the factional power struggles and the revolving door of leadership and prime ministers. With each […]
Bob Brown back on campaign trail to #StopAdani: @jansant #Auspol #ClimateElection #podcast
Former federal Greens leader Bob Brown is back on the campaign trail on the #StopAdani Convoy heading up the east coast of Australia. Brown spoke to No Fibs about the convoy at Albury-Wodonga, where around 200-300 people gathered early on Easter Friday to join the convoy and show their support. Show your support or join […]
People-strong in face of cashed-up Libs: @jansant comments on @HelenHaines1 #IndiVotes baton-catch
From the city to the bush, the Coalition is looking down the barrel at an electoral disaster of its own making, born from arrogantly refusing to listen to the voices in its electorates. The battle is no longer about saving the furniture: it’s about saving the house itself. It remains to be seen how all […]
Helen Haines keeping the Indi dream alive: @margokingston1 #IndiVotes #podcast
Helen Haines (@HelenHaines1) was chosen by supporters of Voices 4 Indi as the successor to Independent MP Cathy McGowan to contest the federal seat of Indi in north-east Victoria. Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) caught up with Helen Haines for the No Fibs podcast and spoke about Helen’s passion for Indi and her involvement in the Voices […]
Rural #IndiVotes says end the blame game for #ClimateElection: @kateauty #StopPrayingForRain
For those who still think our rural community of Indi is asleep on a slow train to a washed-out railway bridge, I suggest that the activity in the streets and halls all over the place should be arresting. In the main shopping strip of Euroa, on Tuesday evening this week, cattle farmers, woolgrowers, lamb producers, […]
Election fever in #IndiVotes as 230 attend rural #Benalla candidates night: @jansant reports
Last night in the rural city of Benalla 230 #IndiVotes constituents attended a ‘meet the candidates’ evening hosted by local journalist Libby Price. The candidates: Shane Wheatland UAP Helen Haines Ind Mark Byatt Nat Eric Kerr Lab Steve Martin Lib The evening started with a short introduction from each of the candidates, then questions from […]
I felt she was speaking directly to me: @digitdave reflects on @indigocathy and #ActiveDemocracy with @adropex
Like the waters of the Murray-Darling Basin, communities run deep in regional and rural Australia. From the Hawkesbury River and the central coast of New South Wales to the Murray River and the valleys and ranges of north east Victoria, people gathered at Parliament House overlooking Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin to listen to Cathy McGowan’s […]
Cathy McGowan reflects on community politics: @jansant #IndiVotes #podcast
Hi, I’m Wayne Jansson and this is a Margo Kingston’s No Fibs podcast. I came to No Fibs via Twitter during the 2013 election campaign when Margo put a call out for citizen journalists to cover seats where they live. I reported Cathy McGowan’s 2013 Indi campaign, in fact she was my first ever interview. […]
The Cube Wodonga turns orange for #IndependentsDay @HelenHaines1 #IndiVotes campaign launch with transcript: @jansant reports
The Cube in Wodonga turned orange today as Helen Haines (@HelenHaines1) launched her #IndiVotes campaign with Cathy McGowan MP (Indi) (@indigocathy) and an army of supporters there in support. Haines told supporters her campaign is on track. This first phase of the campaign since the Voices for Indi forum has been about getting our orange […]
Shouting at the television and planting gardens: #ActiveDemocracy stories by @adropex
What do shouting at the television and gardening have in common? From little things big things have grown. Gather ’round people, let me tell you a story… or two. Whilst a television was not one of the perks of an Aboriginal stockman’s life in the Northern Territory in 1966, the story of Vincent Lingiari and […]
Chapter one of the #IndiWay ends with Cathy McGowan’s final #IndiVotes speech in Parliament: @indigocathy #auspol valedictory transcript
Margo Kingston’s suggested reading:How Indi got itself on the map: The blueprintChasing involved democracy in Indi: @Indigocathy v Sophie Mirabella MPReporting Indi: A reflection by Margo Kingston Cathy McGowan’s valedictory transcript Mr Speaker – I seek the indulgence of the house: Hello everyone and thank you for coming. Six years ago when I rose to […]
Crossbench shares common ground not votes: @indigocathy comments on #IndiVotes leadership and #IndependentsDay hopes for @HelenHaines1
For six years Indi has been an example of a different kind of political representation. ‘The Indi Way’ has become part of the vernacular and my communities continue to celebrate the many achievements of Independence. We have acted in parliament on many issues since those very first ‘Kitchen Table Conversations’ in Indi. In 2013 they […]
The #AusVotes preference system or choosing sides when your team can’t make the Grand Final: @adropex stops #ShoutingAtTheTV and comments
The closest I have come to an election campaign was handing out How-to-Vote cards in the Victorian state election last year, but I must admit to being an interested observer of #Auspol since the 2013 federal election which saw a local independent unseat a major party incumbent in the hitherto safe Liberal seat of Indi. […]
The @NoFibs #IndependentsDay Twitter mission at #ausvotes: @margokingston1 comments
The way I see it, every safe Coalition seat must be in play in the sense that quality indies ask tough questions incumbents are forced to answer. That requires courageous indies & committed, creative citizens because a weakened local media can’t do it. Ready to play? #ausvotes — Margo Kingston (@margokingston1) February 22, 2019 Hi. […]
Rusted off or how I learned to stop worrying and love the indie: @jansant comments #WentworthVotes #auspol
You could say I’ve been pretty loud in the #WentworthVotes hashtag and you’d be right. Here’s why. In 2013 I was convinced (maybe easily) by a few Twitter accounts I banter with in #auspol to contribute to Margo Kingston’s No Fibs Federal election coverage. A project/experiment with citizens reporting from the seats they lived in: or grassroots […]
Burnt bridges: A reflection on the demise of Sophie Mirabella by @adropex
The result in the seat of Indi is final. Only in the last few weeks, as her 2016 campaign collapsed, has the topic of Sophie Mirabella not rekindled in me the upset and anxiety of the last decade. Rather the emotion was one of grudging compassion. With hindsight, the similarity in the unrelenting […]
Burning down the house with the mother of all #ausvotes wedges: @Jansant comments
The Liberal Party in Victoria has run a divisive election campaign designed to wedge the vital volunteer emergency service the Country Fire Authority (CFA), creating deep divisions within communities and families. After the Liberal Party and their flying squad of media goons unsuccessfully went after the #Indivotes kids who dared oppose and beat them – […]
Greg Mirabella heats CFA issue to boiling point in #Indivotes as #ausvotes nears: @Jansant reports
The husband of #Indivotes Liberal Party candidate Sophie Mirabella has been involved in an incident at Wangaratta pre-polling with a local Country Fire Authority (CFA) volunteer from the local integrated fire station. No Fibs has been told a third person stepped inbetween the pair to stop Mr Mirabella advancing towards the volunteer. Both people involved […]
Some snowy vox pops before the final #Indivotes week of #ausvotes heat: @Jansant reports
Vox pop questions Have you taken an interest in the election campaign? What is the most important election issue to you? Will the CFA dispute impact how you vote? Are you satisfied with how Cathy McGowan has represented Indi? Tolmie Wade Jackson Not really. Look at re-doing roads. Yes, the CFA saves all the towns […]
Voters grill @IndigoCathy and @MartyCorboyNats #Indivotes Libs cry forum foul: @Jansant reports
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”auto” height=”” background_color=”#ECE9D8″ border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Speaking to ABC radio on Tuesday morning, Mirabella said the forum failed to raise “any questions about what I think the top issues of concern for Indi are”, which she said were jobs, infrastructure and roads. Excerp from The Guardian – link at end of story.[/dropshadowbox]The ABC […]
Deputy PM @Barnaby_Joyce parachutes Latham into #IndiVotes: @jansant reports
As expected, #Indivotes got a whole lot more interesting with pre-polling, the Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce (@Barnaby_Joyce) even parachuted Mark Latham into the marginal seat. On the Sunday before pre-polling, Cathy McGowan MP (@IndigoCathy), Marty Corboy (@martycorboynats) and former Nationals member for Murray Valley Ken Jasper, put on a very public display of (and […]
Part 9 of NoFibs Australian election coverage 2016: @Qldaah #ausvotes #auspol #qldpol
Ongoing coverage of the Australian election campaign for 2016.
Jasper coaches @martycorboynats to stomping #Indivotes victory over @IndigoCathy: @jansant reports
Part 8 of NoFibs Australian election coverage 2016: @Qldaah #ausvotes #auspol #qldpol
Ongoing coverage of the Australian election campaign for 2016.
Part 7 of NoFibs Australian election coverage 2016: @Qldaah #ausvotes #auspol #qldpol
Ongoing coverage of the Australian election campaign for 2016.
Part 5 of NoFibs Australian election coverage 2016: @Qldaah #ausvotes #auspol #qldpol
Covering the Australian election campaign for 2016.
Part 3 of NoFibs Australian election coverage 2016: @Qldaah #ausvotes #auspol #qldpol
Rolling coverage of the Australian election campaign for 2016. Table of contents Jump to comments section. Mathias knew nothing. What Mitch knew. Send in the cops. Medicare thaw. They took our jobs and growth. . (May 22, 2016) Day 15 – Mathias knew nothing Senator Mathias Cormann didn’t know about the raids Senator Mathias Cormann has […]
Queen of Mean takes on Miss Congeniality and #Indivotes braces for the onslaught: @Jansant reports
Last June when Sophie Mirabella (@MirabellaSophie) won Liberal Party preselection for the Federal seat of Indi, the much anticipated McGowan V’s Mirabella rematch was on and the unofficial campaign was off and running. Mirabella went out hard and early, barely a day went by she wasn’t doing media: I’m back and you will see me, […]
Pt 1 – Australian election blog 2016: @Qldaah #ausvotes #auspol #qldpol
Blog along as we cover the long Australian election campaign for 2016. Table of contents Jump to comments section. Mal’s Panama Papers. Saving Albo. Pies and Toast. Battleground Queensland. To the Governor General. . (May 12, 2016) Day 5 – Mal’s Panama Papers Siberian gold mines and Mossack Fonseca Elise Worthington reported, “Prime Minister Malcolm […]
Oh @MirabellaSophie you have not changed, by @camklose #Indivotes
Disclosure: Campbell Klose was Cathy McGowan’s media advisor at the 2013 election. Cast your mind back, if you will, to the 2007 federal election. A rogue Tony Abbott, let off his leash, went through the Coalition’s slim chances of re-election like a wrecking ball; abusing Labor members on live TV, giving erratic interviews and generally […]
Face off in #IndiVotes where @martycorboynats firms as main challenger to @IndigoCathy: Photos @jansant
#PMLive #Indivotes forum, April 21, 2016
So @martycorboynats v @mirabellasophie at #indivotes, how will @Barnaby_Joyce play? @adropex reports
The Coalition ‘Cupid Shuffle? What was Warren Truss thinking when at a recent media doorstop he singlehandedly emasculated the National Party in Victoria? For that matter, what was Sophie Mirabella thinking when, during this same media event, she deposited six years of her career in the ”can’t actually deliver” bin? Warren Truss, in the final […]
Aunty through @TurnbullMalcolm’s independent looking glass of #auspol’s realpolitik: @Jansant comments
Last week, New Matilda published explosive details of a secretly recorded private conversation between Nick Ross, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) former Games and Technology Editor, and Bruce Belsham, the Head of ABC’s Current Affairs division. They later published the full transcript. The recording made by Ross (@NickRossTech), reveals political pressure being exerted over editorial […]
Local #IndiTalks media slams @MirabellaSophie’s “playground politics”: @Jansant reports
Sophie Mirabella (@MirabellaSophie) and Prime Minister Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) have been accused of “playground politics” during the Spirit Of Anzac launch in Wodonga on Friday, by snubbing “people’s choice” independent, Cathy McGowan MP (@IndigoCathy) and using the event to promote their party for the next federal election. The Border Mail (@bordermail) editorial said: respect for […]
Joint Standing Committee to consider @mirabellasophie’s #Indivotes tactics: @TammyLeeAtkins comments
Let’s change the rules to ensure polling day’s a more positive experience Polling day’s an opportunity to celebrate democracy and reconnect the public with politics, so voting should be a positive experience that encourages us to reflect on our ability to vote and have a say about how we’re represented. Based on feedback from supporters, […]
Rematch as #Inditalks about @MirabellaSophie and @IndigoCathy new #IndiVotes duel: @Jansant reports
Sophie Mirabella (@MirabellaSophie) won Liberal party preselection today at Benalla, setting up a rematch in what will likely be the most watched seat at the next federal election, Indi. Humbled by support of #Indi Liberal members today. We will continue to listen and work with fellow locals #inditalks pic.twitter.com/540LBLaplC — Sophie Mirabella (@MirabellaSophie) June 28, […]
The #indivotes movie: @adropex review and musings on how Indi is changing politics
INDI: The Road to Canberra — CROWDFUNDING TRAILER from David Estcourt on Vimeo. INDI: The Road to Canberra “More than a year has passed since the campaign, so it was interesting seeing our emotions on the big screen…Obviously there are a lot of nuances that can’t be conveyed in a 90 minute film, but [the […]
Northern #VicVotes at war as Libs payback Nats for McGowan #IndiVotes support: @Jansant reports
Yesterday The Border Mail reported altered how-to-vote cards had been handed out during pre-polling in Wangaratta, Northern Victoria, with Coalition partners saying a “rogue Wangaratta volunteer” was responsible. How-to-vote cards for Tony Schneider, the Liberal candidate for Euroa, had been altered by hand, advising a below the line vote, placing National Party Legislative Council candidate […]
Participation an antidote to #Auspol cynicism: the #IndiVotes democratic revolution, by @adropex
“What do rowers and politicians have in common?” asked Dr Simon Longstaff AO, Executive Director of the St James Ethics Centre. “They both look one way and go another.” This resonated with the 265 attendees at the “Indi talks Democracy” event who came to listen to Simon Longstaff and, “the warhorse from the inside”, former […]
Place at kitchen table set for Tony Windsor at #Inditalks feast: @jansant reports
Voices For Indi (V4I), the group that helped Cathy McGowan MP (@Indigocathy) win the Victorian seat of Indi, will hold fresh rounds of “kitchen table conversations” at two events over the weekend. The events which are booked out will be held in Swanpool (Saturday) and Yackandandah (Sunday) in North Eastern Victoria. The events are called […]
Sour grapes of Liberal wrath as #MurdochMafia target #Indivotes: @jansant comments
Every now and then in the life of a nation, there’s an event that threatens to change the status quo, bringing the old tired establishment out swinging. You and I, the punters, will be led to believe the assault is for our own good and the sanctity of our institutions. Sophie Mirabella’s (@MirabellaSophie) defeat at […]
The @Indigocathy campaign clean, #murdochmafia false smear declares war to regain Indi: @camklose comment
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”300px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Margo: Cam Klose was the Voice for Indi’s media person during its campaign to elect Cathy McGowan at the last federal election, and wrote twice for No Fibs during the camapign, Chasing involved democracy in Indi: @indigocathy v @SMirabellaMP and Cathy McGowan’s campaign for Indi enters the […]
Storify: @indigocathy campaign team share the lessons of #IndiVotes during #IndiShares reports @jansant
[View the story “Voice for Indi opens its doors at #Indishares” on Storify]
#Indivotes independent candidate @jenpodesta explains why she’s joined the ALP
Last year I stood as an independent candidate in the federal Seat of Indi – now famous for the outstanding win by another independent, Cathy McGowan, over the three-term incumbent Sophie Mirabella. Much has already been said and written about that. The experience of standing as a candidate was at once exhilarating and heartbreaking, but […]
Ordinary people speaking with an extraordinary voice @MargaretOConno5 reports
By Margaret O’Connor @MargaretOConno5 13 December 2013 It’s Monday December 2 and thirty degrees. The nation’s capital is sliding into a languorous warm late afternoon. I trundle into the Parliament House car park and try, with difficulty, to find a park, because northeast Victoria has come to town. Inside the House of Representatives Chamber, the […]