Victorian election candidates feel the heat during statewide on-the-spot questioning

DO YOU know who this man is? 163 of the state election candidates campaigning for your vote couldn’t name the State Treasurer, Michael O’Brien. But that’s only half the story ...

Geoff Shaw 11 June 2014, Melbourne State Treasurer Michael O'Brien arrives at State Parliament the day after Frankston MP Geoff Shaw was ordered to apologise to parliament for misuse of his taxpayer funded car. Pictutre: Eugene Hyland

A TOTAL of 163 election candidates could not name the State Treasurer when questioned in an extensive statewide survey.

For the first time, Leader Newspapers and the Herald Sun have created a database of candidate profiles to help you decide who deserves to get your vote on November 29.

A record 545 candidates will contest the 88 lower house electorates, up from 502 in 2010.

Only 233 of the 396 candidates interviewed could name the State Treasurer, Michael O’Brien.

Neither Derrimut state Labor MP and Tarneit candidate Telmo Languiller, who has been in Parliament for 15 years, nor Clayton state Labor MP and Clarinda candidate, Hong Lim, who has been in Parliament for 18 years, could name Mr O’Brien.

“I have forgotten his name,” Mr Lim said.

“This is embarrassing.”

Mr Languiller said: “Sorry? Who is the Victoria treasurer? The Victoria treasurer is, um, oh good question. Tim Pallas should be the Victorian treasurer. My memory, I’ve got a blank memory sorry.”

Clayton state Labor MP and Clarinda candidate Hong Lim.

Derrimut state Labor MP and Tarneit candidate Telmo Languiller.

Varied names given for the treasurer included former federal Labor leader Kim Beazley, state Attorney-General Robert Clark, and even Premier Denis Napthine.

There were some eyebrow-raising answers to local questions, such as in Brighton, where independent Jane Touzeau nominated fracking in regional Victoria as a major issue.

And Geelong Australian Country Alliance candidate Tony Leen said East West Link was the key issue for Geelong constituents.

“People often ask me what’s Geelong’s main feature, and they say, ‘the bay’,” Mr Leen said.

“And I say, ‘no it’s Melbourne’.”

Geelong Australian Country Alliance candidate Tony Leen in 2012.

When asked to nominate the most important issue for regional Victoria, Bellarine independent candidate Gus Kacinskas said: “There are chicken sheds down here. If they get chicken flu, it could kill you in a few days. If the wind blows on Geelong it could wipe out half of Geelong.”

Caulfield independent candidate Dr John Barry Myers.

When asked why people should vote for him, Gippsland South Rise Up Australia Party candidate Patrick Winterton said: “Because the government has all sorts of strange people who are governing us. I heard in some parties there were rapists governing us. They’re morally corrupt, we’re morally sound. The moral issue is a big one.”

A rash of single-issue candidates include Dr John Barry Myers, suspended for patient misconduct, who is running for the seat of Caulfield “to get rid of the medical board”.

The interviews also showed up candidates who had no idea of what suburbs or towns were covered by the electorate, such as Werribee Voice for the West candidate Nhan Hoang Tran, who nominated Sunshine, which is not part of the electorate, as the only suburb included.

When asked why people should vote for him, Mr Tran said: “I really got no idea. I’m new here, you know.”

Albert Park independent candidate and musician Tex Perkins outside the crumbling Palais Theatre. Picture: Josie Hayden

Albert Park independent candidate and musician Tex Perkins, who is campaigning to save the Palais Theatre, had a novel suggestion for managing population growth in the electorate.

“I think we should hand out more condoms,” Perkins said.

Family First nominated candidates across the state but listed party representative Shane Clark as the contact for all candidates. When contacted, Mr Clark said candidates would not participate in interviews.