Liberal Party tight-lipped as state election candidates for Yuroke and Broadmeadows remain a mystery

THE Liberal party is remaining tight-lipped on why no candidates have been endorsed for Hume’s two major electorates less than two months out from the state election.

Save Jacana Football Club Launch. Frank McGuire, MP. Picture: Valeriu Campan

THE Liberal Party is remaining tight-lipped on why no candidates have been endorsed for Hume’s two major electorates less than two months out from the state election.

While the Labor Party announced its candidates for Yuroke and Broadmeadows as far back as January, the Coalition is still to reveal its candidates for the November 29 election, despite recently confirming an announcement was ­imminent.

Some minor parties including the Greens and Australian Christians have put forward their candidates.

The traditionally Labor-held seat of Broadmeadows will again be contested by sitting MP Frank McGuire.

Mr McGuire said it came as no shock the Liberals were yet to nominate their candidate.

“I’m not surprised they’re (struggling) to find somebody to defend the indefensible,” he said.

“We haven’t seen them, we haven’t heard from them, they’ve got nobody to stand – it’s just appalling.”

But he is not treating the Liberal no-show lightly, saying he would campaign “as if Broadmeadows is a marginal seat”.

“I think the Coalition will run a campaign (to) the death,” he said.

Yuroke Labor candidate Ros Spence, the former Hume mayor who was preselected in the wake of Liz Beattie’s resignation, said she would not count on anything until candidate and party nominations closed on November 13 and 14.

“I’m passionate about the community and I’m not taking any votes for granted,” she said.

“I’m not taking for granted whether there will or will not be representation from any party or … number of independents running.”

In August, the Greens endorsed Jaime de Loma-Osorio Ricon for Broadmeadows and Natalie Abboud for Yuroke.

The Australian Christians have announced Imad Hirmiz as their candidate for Yuroke.

In the new seat of Sunbury, which includes ­Sunbury, Diggers Rest, Bulla and parts of Gladstone Park, Tullamarine and Westmeadows, three candidates have been endorsed so far – Jo Hagan (Liberal), Josh Bull (Labor) and Charles Williams (Australian Christians).

A Liberal party spokeswoman said they were currently in the process of finalising candidates in a number of seats, with announcements to be made in “coming days”.

She did not confirm why candidates had already been chosen for some electorates and not others.