The #GroomVotes volunteers who made it all work: Mike Spence’s story

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Mike Spence

Mike Spence graduated from the Royal Military College as an Engineer in 1974. After serving 20 years he retired from the ADF and completed a Science Degree in Environmental Analysis. He became involved with Landcare and chaired the Condamine Catchment Management Association and the Toowoomba Regional Environment Committee. He recently retired from his Environmental Consulting company and now enjoys photography.

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The #GroomVotes volunteers who made it all work: Mike Spence’s story - 18 June 2022

IT WAS A friend of a friend who made my ‘Voices’ connection. I had not been involved in politics before, but the Covid pandemic and the Federal Government’s handling brought forth issues in general conversation during 2020. I was brought up as a typical hereditary Labor voter in the days of Tom Uren (my local member) until I joined the Army in 1970.

My first Voices for Groom meeting, 31 Jan 2021. Photo Mike Spence

It’s important to recognise where you have come from to know where you are. Army life exposed me to different cultures (Papua New Guinea), a multitude of towns and communities, and numerous friends along the way. It was a different experience finally settling down in Toowoomba in 1991, where political life seemed unchanged since the time of Steele Rudd.

At my first meeting with Suzie Holt’s campaign team I learned of this Voices ‘thing’ and what was achieved by the Voices of Indi and Cathy McGowan in 2013. Essentially it was about listening to, and acting upon, issues that affected the electorate and were of concern to individuals through ‘Kitchen Table’ conversations that changed Indi’s politics.

It’s important to consider all the individuals who make up an electorate, their expectations, what their awareness is, their understanding of who is responsible for what (Local, State, Federal), what motivates how people vote and so on. The bottom line is quality of life and our representatives achieve those things we need but are beyond our individual ability to control.

Suzie Holt and others started holding Kitchen Table conversations, listening to everyone from city slickers to farmers. Several planning meetings were held and a committee established. Issues were defined and analysed and a Youth Forum was held in early 2022.

Candidate selection

In September 2021, after Suzie asked several prominent people to stand, Suzie Holt and Kirstie Smolenski were invited to present their credentials to Voices of Groom (VoG) financial members, who endorsed Suzie presentations and responses to member’s questions.

VoG decided to endorse Suzie then take a back seat. The VoG executive vacated their positions to join Suzie’s campaign team and a new executive was voted in at a meeting in January 2022. Suzie Holt announced her candidacy and officially launched her campaign on 7th April this year.

VoG will hold its AGM on 29th June 2022 to elect a new committee.

The campaign

I was the campaign photographer. Some memorable events:

1. Visit to a farm at Cecil Plains to discuss the potential loss of farmland due to Coal Seam Gas extraction.

2. Meeting at Pittsworth to listen to issues raised by the much-changed route of the inland Rail and the effect on the Flood Plain.

3. A forum at the Empire Theatre with Kerry O’Brien, Cathy McGowan, Everald Compton and Dr Eddie Barui to discuss the issues and roles of Independents in Parliament.

4. Candidates Forums held at The Club (Toowoomba), Highfields, Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, Mouse Proof Brewery, Oakey RSL, and the innumerable Politics in the Pub, visits to Pittsworth Nursing Home, Inland Rail discussion at Pittsworth, morning teas, the Women in Agriculture Seminar.

5. Extensive door knocking and corflute waving along roads and at intersections.

Volunteers manned the four Toowoomba Pre-Polling locations and 40 of the 55 Polling the electorate.

Candidates Forum: Mouse Proof Brewery: 13 May 2022 (all candidates except the sitting LNP member)

My observations

The most significant outcome was the inroad made into the political status quo. Unlike the southern ‘TEAL’ candidates, Suzie Holt only accepted local donations.

1. The preparation by Suzie and the team as VoG was extensive in gathering information on the issues affecting a large cross-section of the community to gain understanding to bring those concerns to the Federal level and also influence local and State issues.

2. There is an enigma in that most people say you can’t trust politicians but are willing to vote for the same without any insight into the personal qualities of the candidates.

3. Suzie and her team displayed integrity throughout the campaign and did not attack other candidates.

4. The full-page advertisement by the UAP in the Toowoomba Chronicle on 20th May 2022 stating that the LNP and Labor were transferring Australian ‘health assets and hospitals to the Chinese controlled WHO’ was a morally bankrupt fabrication intended to sway voters susceptible to misinformation.

5. Everyone says just ignore the conspiracy theories, but during the past several years from the emergence of QANON through to the ongoing Covid pandemic, a lot of people have been swayed by false information. It has a detrimental effect on voting and some political groups encourage these falsehoods. The need for integrity is paramount.

6. Several experts/specialists in various fields joined Suzie’s team, allowing an in-depth analysis of issues. Only a few candidates could talk knowledgeably across the range of issues that make up the Federal discourse. The adage ‘you can’t know everything’ holds, but accessing sound advisors addresses that drawback.

7. Several candidates were, to a greater or lesser degree, single-issue candidates. A Federal MP must be across a broad range of issues, and this was essentially what VoG started and Suzie continued.

8. Suzie’s main themes were #GrowingGroomTogether and #PeopleNotParties’. While the latter is catchy, many voters asked what a non-aligned representative can achieve? The new wave of Independents will be followed closely and this may be a cornerstone of conversation at the next election.

Cathy McGowan, Everald Compton and Dr Eddie Barui at the Empire Theatre forum – Photo: Mike Spence

Special thanks

Several wonderful people made time to visit Groom and advise us right up to election night.

Kerry O’Brien gave his take on Independents in Parliament at the Empire Theatre Forum. Cathy McGowan, the first ‘Voices for’ MP, spoke at several functions, bringing insight and experience. Everald Compton, the ‘Father of the Inland Rail’, brought his considerable knowledge to bear in discussions about this sensitive project.

Margo Kingston, ex-journo and Twitter aficionado, kept a low profile while reporting the journey as it unfolded.

While these four brought expertise, the volunteers are the ones who made it all work.

Thank you all.

Margo Kingston Twitter reporting #GroomVotes – Photo: Mike Spence

Conclusion

Everyone ‘done good’ as they say, and bring on the next one. The hardest issue to overcome was the mindset of parties, and it was not until a trigger point of an issue was raised did many understand the lack of interest by the major parties in the electorate.

Suzie and team maintained honesty and integrity throughout the campaign, and listened.

One lasting image for me signifies the inner quality of care and compassion of the reluctant candidate towards all those she met in the electorate.