By DAVID BRAITHWAITE
GREG Hansford will no longer be One Nation’s candidate for the Eastern Victoria upper house region at November’s state election.
In a statement released last Wednesday, One Nation announced the move as “Greg has a serious health matter that requires ongoing treatment”.
Mr Hansford was taken to hospital after collapsing while attending the East Gippsland Football-Netball League grand final in Bairnsdale early last September.
“One Nation’s primary priority is Greg’s health and wellbeing, and we ask that you respect his privacy at this time. We continue to support Greg and his family in any way we can and are deeply saddened by this news,” One Nation stated.
“Greg has always fought for Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley, and his work for the betterment of the region is unrivalled.
“We have big shoes to fill, and we ask everyone to remain patient and respectful as we select a candidate for our first position
in Eastern Victoria in the Legislative Council.
“As Greg wishes, we remain focused on the election at hand.”
Mr Hansford’s withdrawal means One Nation will have a third candidate to fill the top spot on its ticket for Eastern Victoria.
Party leader Warren Pickering initially had that place before switching to the lower house seat of Pakenham.
Currently, Neil Davison is slated to be number two on the party’s ticket.
Mr Davison worked at beermaker Fosters before building and running 11 businesses, including hotels and supermarkets with his brother.
The One Nation website said a major influence on Mr Davison’s life was volunteering for an aid project in a Philippines war zone.
“That experience taught him compassion and made him truly value how lucky Australia is. He believes we must keep working hard to protect our country’s wealth and should not just expect things to be given to us,” Mr Davison’s bio on the website stated.
