By Marcus Uhe
Early voting for 21 May’s Federal Election is now open and yet voters in Holt have grounds to feel unsure about where to direct their vote.
Of the eight candidates contesting the seat vacated by the retiring Labor MP Anthony Byrne, two are proving incredibly difficult for both Star News and voters to contact or learn more about.
The candidates under the microscope are Independent Ravi Ragupathy and One Nation’s Sandra Ambard.
Senior lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Monash University, Dr Zareh Ghazarian said their inactivity is often a reflection on their party.
“If they’re not presenting, constituents don’t have that same opportunity to familiarise themselves with the candidate,” Dr Ghazarian said.
“It’s a case of parties short-changing themselves. They’re had same amount of time to prepare as other candidates.
“Minor parties face significant challenges in mobilising human and financial resources. They’re not as well-resourced, so they’re always going to struggle to get candidates and materials organised.”
Mr Ragupathy has the prized top-spot on the ballot paper, crucial in securing the ‘donkey vote’, where voters list preferences one to eight in order of how it is presented on the voting card.
A link to his website listed on his Facebook page, which is under a different name, in Tamilmurasu Ragupathy, takes you to a site currently “under construction”.
That page is updated regularly, however Twitter and Instagram accounts in his name have not posted since March 2018.
Mr Ragupathy also ran in the 2018 State Election as an independent in Pauline Richards’ seat of Cranbourne, securing 0.3 per cent of the electorate’s first preference votes.
While Ms Ambard, representing Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, has no social media presence and a blank profile on One Nation’s website, as of Tuesday 10 May, with no photo or biography provided.
Mr Ghazraian posited that this may be a deliberate decision by the party based on previous voting patterns.
“One Nation doesn’t do traditionally well in Victoria so they may be making a more tactical decision to focus on stronger areas,” he said.
One Nation has experienced controversy in recent weeks after reports into standing alleged ‘ghost candidates’ with no traceable online presence or connection to an electoral seat they are standing in.
In the case of Ms Ambard, she also lives interstate, with the Australian Electoral Commission confirming her address as in Westcourt, Cairns.
Living outside of the area is within election rules but it does question the ability of the candidate to best represent their constituents.
Despite the retirement of Mr Byrne after admitting to branch-stacking and misusing Commonwealth-funded staff, which clouded the end of his lengthy term, Dr Ghazarian is expecting a “safe” hold for the ALP.
“Long-term MPs build a following. Part of vote will be affected by Byrne’s retirement but the resilience of party vote is expected to remain.
“I wouldn’t expect it to be a seat that changes hands on election night.”
