Liberals front up to Stephen Mayne in election-eve showdown in Menzies

INDEPENDENT candidate Stephen Mayne is caught in a furious war of words over the future of Menzies in Melbourne’s northeast ahead of the July 2 poll.

Stephen Mayne is embroiled in a war of words in Menzies.

IN a dramatic political stand-off, the Liberal Party has warned voters not to trust independent Menzies candidate Stephen Mayne who describes himself as a “pro Turnbull moderate Liberal alternative”.

The Liberal Party’s Victorian president Michael Kroger has written to Manningham Leader pointing to Mr Mayne’s history of running against the Coalition, while Mr Mayne has delivered a massive preference snub to incumbent Liberal MP Kevin Andrews, while continuing to insist he will support the Coalition if he wins office on July 2.

Kevin Andrews says he would be ‘prepared’ to challenge PM Malcolm Turnbull under right circumstances

Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger said in his letter that Mr Mayne’s self-styled “Liberal alternative” branding was misleading.

“Mr Mayne professes to be the “true” Liberal candidate. This is completely false. Mr

Mayne in no way represents the Liberal Party,” Mr Kroger wrote.

“In fact he stood against the Liberal Party at the 1999 Burwood by-election; 2006 state election in southern Metropolitan Region; 2007 federal election in Higgins; 2010 state election in Northern Metropolitan Region and the 2012 Melbourne by-election.”

Mr Kroger said Mr Mayne’s preferences belied his claim of supporting the Liberal Party. “His preferences have regularly flowed to the Greens and the ALP, and on one occasion the Sex Party,” he said.

Meanwhile Mr Mayne has preferenced the Greens and put Mr Andrews last on his how-to-vote card, but says he will support a Malcolm Turnbull-led government if he wins Menzies and the Coalition is returned.

“There’s no doubt that I’m an independent and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye with Liberal politicians but I am completely supportive of Malcolm Turnbull,” he said.

But on polling day he’ll be suggesting people put the Coalition last due to his dislike of Mr Andrews, he said.

“Kevin is so bad I’ve put him last. It’s just a case of getting rid of him — without him I will support the Liberal Party unequivocally,” Mr Mayne said.

“I’ll be honest I do have a preference agreement with the Greens and I have decided to put them ahead of Labor, and Labor ahead of the Libs. So my preferences have Kevin last,” he said.

But Mr Mayne said that doesn’t mean he is cosy with Labor. “I fought the Labor Party when I was on Manningham Council and I fought them very aggressively. I hate the unions and all their abuses and corruption and just think that culture is toxic,” he said.

But despite claiming to be at odds with Labor, a call to arms on Twitter was about encouraging the party to support its own candidate, Mr Mayne said.

“I said the ALP should spend $50,000 campaigning in Menzies but the ALP doesn’t even care about Menzies, they don’t even give a stuff and they don’t even want to try,” he said.

Mr Mayne said it was incorrect to say he stood against the Liberal Party in 2012 as the Liberal party did not stand a candidate in the election.

Mr Mayne said he take leave from Melbourne Council once the budget was approved but would not resign unless he won the election.

MR KROGER’S LETTER

As the senior Liberal Party office bearer in Victoria, I offer a few observations on the candidacy of Stephen Mayne in Menzies.

Stephen Mayne professes to be the “true” Liberal candidate. This is completely false. Mr Mayne in no way represents the Liberal Party. In fact he stood against the Liberal Party at the 1999 Burwood by-election; 2006 state election in êouthern Metropolitan Region; 2007 federal election in Higgins; 2010 state election in Northern Metropolitan Region and the 2012 Melbourne by-election.

His preferences have regularly flowed to the Greens and the ALP, and on one occasion the Sex Party.

What we expected all along has now been confirmed. While claiming to be an independent Liberal and a supporter of Mr Turnbull, Mr Mayne has in fact preferenced Labor and the Greens above the endorsed candidate of the Liberal Party.

Moreover, his Twitter account reveals he sought $50,000 worth of support from the Australian Labor Party on 21 May.

He has also said he might seek the endorsement of Rob Oakeshott. This speaks volumes.

When confronted by a hung parliament after the 2010 Federal Election, Mr Oakeshott infamously delivered government to Julia Gillard and the Labor Party. It follows, therefore, that Mr Mayne is not to be trusted when he says he would support the Liberals in the event of a hung parliament on July 2.

In fact, in his submission to the 2016/17 draft Manningham Council budget he wrote: “If elected as the independent member for Menzies, below are the $50 million worth of Manningham projects that I would demand be funded by Canberra before agreeing to support a minority Turnbull government”.

So rather than being a “true” Liberal, Mr Mayne has now attached 50 million strings to his promised support.

It is now clear. A vote for Mr Mayne is a vote for political instability and quite possibly a hung parliament.

A vote for Kevin Andrews is a vote to return the Liberal Party to government.

Michael Kroger

State President

Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division)