With reports the Turnbull government may fight a double dissolution election as early as July 2, Julia Banks (née Lolatgis), the Liberal Party candidate for Chisholm, is upbeat about her chances of prising the seat from Labor.
“There’s a positive vibe and a desire for a fresh change and new energy”
Speaking exclusively to Neos Kosmos last week, Ms Banks said while the contest with Labor’s Stefanie Perri (currently Mayor of Monash) would be a “challenging battle”, the feedback she was getting pointed to a resurgence of support for the Liberals under Malcolm Turnbull.
“There’s a positive vibe and a desire for a fresh change and new energy,” said Ms Banks, who gained pre-selection last year after transferring her “real life experience and skills” as a senior business executive and lawyer to the political arena.
“I’m not a career politician. I’ve been a working mum for over 20 years and experienced first hand the challenges of balancing home, children, work and community life.”
The Liberal candidate, who is of Greek descent, says her priorities include delivering on the government’s commitment to individual enterprise, and particularly small business, childcare and aged care programs.
Asked what issues were most likely to impact voters’ decisions, Ms Banks said actions at a federal level translated directly to the local environment.
“People in Chisholm want investment. They want growth and jobs and opportunities. They want to embrace innovation, new technology and small business development. It’s those things that our government is supporting and Labor is stopping through their policies on curbing negative gearing and so on”.
Under pressure from within his own party and trailing in the polls, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s credentials as an alternative PM is also a key factor according to Ms Banks.
“One thing I want the people of Chisholm to remember in this election year is that a vote for Labor’s candidate Councillor Perri is a vote for Bill Shorten.”
On Monday 7 March she was joined by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Melbourne for an event on the eve of International Women’s Day.
To an audience of teenage students from Huntingtower School in Mount Waverley Ms Banks spoke of the pride she felt for her Greek heritage, and the obstacles the first generation of Greek migrants, particularly women, faced when they arrived in Australia.
Denied education and made to concentrate on traditional maternal duties, her mother’s experience, she said, became central to her own political outlook.
“Mum’s passion for making the world a better place for me is what drove me, underpinned by the value of education and financial independence,” said Ms Banks.
At the 2013 election the Liberal Party achieved a 4.2 per cent swing against the incumbent Member for Chisholm Anna Burke, who is retiring.
