By LIAM DURKIN

 

ONE Nation has announced its candidate for the seat of Morwell.

Casey Murphy will run against Nationals incumbent Martin Cameron for the lower house at November’s state election.

The Latrobe Valley local is by no means a One Nation bandwagoner, having been with the party for a number of years.

She previously ran for the seat of Narracan at the 2022 state election, achieving a six per cent swing.

Her result was arguably a precursor to what One Nation is currently experiencing nationally, as more and more people who traditionally side with the major parties have switch allegiances.

Ms Murphy was one of them, and felt compelled to get involved after becoming disillusioned with the direction Australia was going in federally under Scott Morrison’s then Coalition government, and as a state under the Dan Andrews Labor machine.

For Ms Murphy, she can see the writing on the wall for the Latrobe Valley’s future, and is running again to try and do something about it.

As the famous saying goes: It’s the economy, stupid!

“The Valley has powered Victoria for generations, our workers and families can’t really be left behind. Labor has locked in the closure dates for Yallourn and Loy Yang A – that’s one of the biggest pushes for me – I’ll push for this region to have genuine investment, secure local jobs and new industries so our workers aren’t left carrying the cost,” she said.

“I understand a lot about what our families here are dealing with. I’ve previously worked four jobs at once to keep up. When families are under pressure, our whole community feels it.”

Ms Murphy said securing long-term local jobs would lead to a range of benefits.

“Real jobs for our young people so fewer end up on the wrong path,” she said.

“We have one of the highest crime rates in regional Victoria – nearly double the state average – so I think we need to get in early and support mental health services.”

Ms Murphy backed One Nation’s commitment to keep coal-fired power stations open, and to scrap the national moratorium banning nuclear energy.

The announcement of Ms Murphy’s candidacy was delayed due to a severe health issue involving fellow local party member, Greg Hansford. Mr Hansford, from Newborough, was set to run (and likely win) an upper house seat in Eastern Victoria.

“I’ve known Greg for a number of years. I truly appreciate Greg, he’s been really supportive of me and generous with his advice over the time,” Ms Murphy said.

“He’s given so much to our community. I was very upset when I was told that he is unwell. He just needs to focus on getting better, being with his family.”

One Nation state leader Warren Pickering has also faced battles of a different kind in recent weeks, after fronting the cameras to admit to a previous life of drug and substance abuse.

His confessional sparked equal praise and condemnation. Ms Murphy felt it reflected the fact One Nation has nothing to hide, and that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

“Warren acknowledged his mistakes, and I feel like every single one of us in our teens and early 20s probably made a lot of mistakes, but he acknowledged them, took responsibility for them, and I think a lot of people here in the Valley understand what it means to turn your life around,” she said.

“I believe that he’ll be a really strong leader for Victoria.”

Any conversation with a One Nation member wouldn’t be complete without asking: “have you met Pauline?”

Ms Murphy has, and said what you see is what you get with the Queensland senator and party leader.

“She’s open to be challenged, which I appreciate a lot about her,” she said.

“We had a number of conversations back in 2022 in the previous election and then the following supplementary election for Narracan (the election was rescheduled following the death of Nationals candidate Shaun Gilchrist).

“I’m looking forward to being able to catch up with her a bit more as the campaign progresses.”

Away from politics, Ms Murphy has had a varied career with stints in the media, health and people management.

The 36-year-old is also the typical ‘sports mum’ for her child’s extra-curricular activities.