PRE-POLLING KICKS OFF

Pre-polling kick-off. All the stars were here this morning. Fun times if you like politics — and if you don’t, you should. We need every Australian to get interested and involved. The elected are making decisions about our children’s future. Let’s make sure they make the right ones.

I learnt a lot today. First time at a pre-polling station: fourteen-plus candidates with their how-to-vote cards. I had decided not to give a preference order for other candidates — only to say, put the three majors last.

I had a lot of good chats today. Worth the entry cost to run, just for understanding how people see the issues and what they think the fixes are — and for meeting other politicians. Funny, the thought of being a politician.

A mixed bag. Some are running on very focused issues — cannabis, psychedelics legalisation. Others, like me, are running to fix the whole country.

What must be understood is that everyone wants to fix what is wrong. Everyone sees issues and has solutions. So we are not enemies — we are friends with different ideas. With that view, I had some great conversations, and I hope to build relationships with all my competitors over the coming fortnight.

There was a lot of energy for One Nation — even their helpers were the most represented, older educated men. It was a similar energy to what I felt in Albury leading up to the Farrer by-election. People want change. They have had enough of the status quo, and Pauline is speaking how they feel and giving them hope.

Secret Harbour is middle to upper class, and a Labor seat — but I get the feeling One Nation will take it. The Liberals are preferencing One Nation, and I even heard one of the Liberal people say he would be fine with One Nation taking the seat if it meant Labor lost. That is interesting.

More tomorrow. Cheers.