Victorian election 2022: Mildura’s three-way split

Roads and healthcare are the key battlegrounds for Mildura, one of the state’s most marginal electorates.

For an electorate far away from the gold rush-era grandeur of Spring Street, Mildura knows how to get attention from those in power.

The Mildura electorate provided one of the few surprises on 1988 election night, switching from National to Liberal.

It shocked again in 1996, sacking Liberal MP Craig Bildstien for independent Russell Savage.

Mildura reverted to type in 2006, electing Nat MP Peter Crisp but then sent him into retirement with its famed independent streak in 2018, electing Ali Cupper.

Charlton Forum president Wayne Litton said roads were a number one concern for people in the town, followed closely by healthcare and a shortage of housing.

Mixed farmer Jon Whykes echoed his call.

“Roads, roads and roads. I’ve got neighbours whose crops are effectively isolated. They can’t access them to harvest them,” Mr Whykes said.

Roads are the No.1 issue for Charlton farmer Jon Whykes at the 2022 state election.

His vote and others from the Buloke Shire towns of Charlton, Donald and Litchfield could prove crucial this election after a boundary redistribution added them to the marginal Mildura electorate this year.

Only 237 votes separated independent MP Ali Cupper from the Coalition in 2018, so the addition of 1500 people from the conservative-voting towns may not be good news for her campaign.

In her bid to win over Mallee voters, Ms Cupper has appealed for them to ditch their loyalty to the Coalition and “vote strategically”.

Road reform in rural areas needed to be accompanied by rates reform to give local councils the funds to maintain local roads, she told farmers at a recent forum.

Member for Mildura Ali Cupper. Picture: Supplied

It’s an argument that makes sense to Mr Whykes, but he was “not familiar with (Ms Cupper’s) past performance” — a common refrain in an area that has found itself now three hours south of its new MP’s electorate office.

Good news for Ms Cupper was votes from Buloke Shire may be balanced out by the 3000 new voting-age people who have made the Mildura council area home since the last census, many of whom have relocated from urban centres.

At a community forum held in Mildura last week, one of the biggest topics in the room was healthcare — an issue Ms Cupper has championed since she chaperoned Mildura Base Public Hospital back to public ownership at the start of her term.

Frustration in the electorate was growing over the Labor government’s failure to make public its master plan for a much-needed upgrade of the hospital, which was due in April. The Labor candidate did not attend the forum to answer questions.

National Party candidate Jade Benham highlighted a $750 million Coalition campaign pledge toward a new hospital for Mildura, but acknowledged the money would only cover the “first one or two stages” of development.

Liberal candidate Paul Matheson, who first announced the hospital funding promise, has gone silent since October 27, when media reported he had been charged with breaches under the Victoria Police Act while serving as a police officer.