An independent candidate claiming Bob Such’s mantle has entered the race for the seat of Fisher.
Government lawyer Daniel Woodyatt has nominated as an independent in the 6 December by-election, potentially giving Labor’s candidate Nat Cook some much-needed assistance.
Labor number crunchers believe it will be difficult for Cook to win the seat, although it’s been in independent hands for so long that no-one has a firm understanding of the seat’s voting patterns without Such’s presence.
Such was the member for more than two decades, initially as a Liberal before quitting the party and winning Fisher as an independent for the first time in 2002. He died in October.
The Liberal candidate, Heidi Harris, is a local, and has been favoured to win despite Cook’s high profile as a founder of the Sammy D Foundation, named after her son who was killed in a one-punch attack.
Harris has also attempted to claim Such’s mantle.
Her former boss, Liberal MP Duncan McFetridge, claims that Such told him that he wouldn’t have run for the seat at the March 2014 election if Harris had been preselected as the Liberal candidate. Instead, the Liberals selected Sam Duluk, who is standing for the seat of Davenport in the 31 January by-election forced by Iain Evans’ retirement.
This afternoon Woodyatt fronted the media with Bob Such’s widow Lyn, who offered her endorsement.
Earlier Woodyatt said he would stand to maintain Such’s “independent legacy” in Fisher.
“It became clear that after Bob passed away that that legacy was not going to continue,” the Crown lawyer told the ABC 891 breakfast program.
“And Fisher currently is in the box seat in State Parliament and it has the strongest voice that it has ever had. And we need to retain that.”
He said the people of Fisher had a “golden ticket” in State Parliament.
“Their voices are currently the loudest they’ve ever been.”
He said he wouldn’t allocate preferences to Labor or the Liberals and intended to run a split ticket, as Such had done.
However, he warned that the election of Harris would weaken the bargaining power for the people in the southern suburbs seat.
“What we want people to do during this campaign is to ask Heidi how she’s going to put four lanes on Flagstaff Road; ask Heidi how she’s going to open up the Happy Valley reservoir. Because if Heidi Harris wins that seat, it will not change anything and the Liberals won’t have any power to do anything.”
On Cook he said: “Nat Cook is doing wonderful community work and our opinion is that Nat Cook should continue doing that work in the schools. However the people of Fisher need someone that understands them, and they need someone that understands government. I’m a Crown lawyer, so I work with providing advice Government Ministers every single day on the operation of government …”
Woodyatt said he had never met Such, but he wanted to channel his “independent spirit”.
He said he was a local and would be launching his campaign at Aberfoyle Hub today.
