Inside the challenge for Victoria’s Liberal Party jewel

Today, we bring you a special episode of The Age and Sydney Morning Herald’s Inside Politics podcast, recorded in the south-west Victorian electorate of Wannon.

The seat encompasses tourist towns along the Great Ocean Road to Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland, then stretches inland to the rural city of Hamilton, rich grazing country around the Grampians, and all the way to the South Australian border.

Age reporter Tony Wright at the Bay of Martyrs.Credit: Justin McManus

Wannon has been in safe Liberal hands for 70 years, since former prime minister Malcolm Fraser won the seat in 1955, and held it until 1983. Grazier, and speaker of the House of Representatives, David Hawker, then held it until 2010, when it became the domain of Liberal frontbencher Dan Tehan.

But this year, it seems more voters are rallying behind change and the independent candidate promising it: Alex Dyson, a former radio host and third-time contender for Wannon.

So what’s different this time around? And could Dan Tehan lose what has long been considered a jewel in the Liberal Party’s rural crown?

Who better to tell the evolving story of Wannon than associate editor and special writer Tony Wright. He was born in Heywood, grew up on sheep and cattle properties in the Western District, went to school in Hamilton, and still has a house near Portland.

To listen to the episode, produced by Julia Carr-Catzel, click the player below, or read on for an edited extract.

Carr-Catzel: So where are we headed right now, Tony?

Wright: We’re headed from Cavendish towards the outskirts of Hamilton, where Mark Wootton and his wife, Eve Kantor (niece of News Corp media mogul Rupert Murdoch), have a very big grazing operation. And they have decided to support Alex Dyson, they have become the second-biggest donors to his campaign.

It’s quite a shock that a big grazier of the Hamilton area would not be supporting Dan Tehan, but instead would be supporting somebody like Alex Dyson.

Alex Dyson has a powerful campaign, well-supported with money. He got about one thousand volunteers to knock on doors.

So if at this election, the Liberals lose this seat, particularly to a young independent who they’ve tried to suggest is a bit of a fool, it’ll be a huge loss for the Liberal Party because it’s their jewel in the rural crown really.