Michelle Slater
The Greens have announced two candidates to take on Gippsland seats in next year’s federal election, including the mum of firebrand Senator Lydia Thorpe.
Gunaikurnai elder Marjorie Thorpe will be fronting up against Nationals MP Darren Chester for the seat of Gippsland.
Ms Thorpe was born in Yallourn, her father worked in the power industry and was one of the last people to leave Yallourn before the whole town was demolished.
She went on to work in the public and community sectors in Gippsland and is an activist in environment, social justice and First Nation’s people’s rights.
She was joined by her daughter Lydia for an official candidates launch held in Yallourn on Friday.
Ms Thorpe described herself as a lifelong advocate for environmental protection, and will be campaigning for healthcare, education, climate action and a treaty for First Nations peoples.
She will also be pushing for more and investments in renewable energy for workers to transition into clean jobs.
“The world is changing, and we must change to clean, renewable sources of energy and non-polluting industries,” Ms Thorpe said.
“Latrobe Valley must be the first community to come to the negotiating table – not the last.
“Don’t let the powerful coal interests bury us in the past. It is our children that will suffer if we let the world pass us by. We need to take a lead.”
Meanwhile, Mat Morgan is the newly-endorsed candidate for Monash after he campaigned as a candidate in last month’s local South Gippsland Shire elections for Coastal-Promontory Ward.
The Foster-based climate activist is studying a politics and philosophy degree, stating he had been handing out Greens how-to-vote cards with his grandparents as a kid.
Mr Morgan was a founding member of Bass Coast Climate Action Network and had helped to successfully campaign for Bass Coast Shire to declare a climate emergency.
Earlier this year he spent six nights in a tree sit staving off loggers in the Alberton West State Forest.
The first time federal candidate cited issues such as climate change, affordable housing, access to higher education and community safety.
Mr Morgan acknowledged the challenge ahead of taking on a safe seat held by Liberal stalwart Russell Broadbent.
“I want to give the next generation a seat at the table, we have a long road ahead, but people haven’t been taking Monash seriously as it’s a safe Liberal seat,” he said.
“But you can look at other safe Liberal seats such as Kooyong and they are Greens/Liberal seats. I will be keeping it all about the policies.”
