There was frost on the windshield this morning, and Di started the day on Fran Kelly’s Breakfast show on ABC’s Radio National with a story about the Mayo by-election. Then Di spent the morning at the Strathalbyn Stock and Fish Market, in the Market Shed and walking down the Main Street. Di talked to all kinds of people, including local merchants, shoppers and tourists.
How-to-vote cards were passed out at pre-polling stations in Stirling, Mt Barker and Victa – there were lots of good conversations, questions and interesting encounters! People talked about wanting decent facilities for young people and kids that are within their communities and within easy reach. How you get around, efficiently and cheaply, was on everyone’s minds too.
The trusty campaign ute made landfall in Strathablyn and Victa before coming to a rest in Milang. The ute also made the front cover of free monthly, the Yankalilla Regional News – it looked very flash! And the final corflutes went up in the north-western corner of the electorate – from Victa to Mt Compass and many points in between. And a new video with John Schumann went up on YouTube:
At 7:30pm, the federal candidates for the seat of Mayo gathered at the old Aldgate Memorial Hall to debate and discuss climate change and the environment, social justice, and human rights. The debate was sponsored by Adelaide Hills Climate Change Action Group and moderated by Dr Haydon Manning (Flinders University). The format was simple: 8 minutes for each candidate to lay out their positions and then questions from the voters.
There were 8 candidates present and 8 strong position statements got made. Di talked about the ways in which social justice can frame our understanding of environmental issues (read Di’s speech here). There were lots of questions – how would an independent influence parliament and policy? What can we do about sustainability and population growth? How can we better utilise public transportation and rail systems? There were several moments of levity and wonderful insight from Malcom King and his dog, Molly. And we all missed hearing from Bob Day, Jamie Briggs, and Mary Brewerton who were not in attendance.
After a wonderfully thorough description of how the preferential voting system actually works, Haydon Manning also made a prediction for Saturday: the Mayo election will be decided on preferences. Dr Manning believes that the Liberal Party candidate, Jamie Briggs will not get the 50% plus one vote needed to win outright and that the Green’s candidate Lynton Vonow and our own Di Bell will give him a run for his money!
Afterwards, there was tea, coffee and biscuits and lots of conversation as candidates and votes milled around; then it was the long and winding road back down to Finniss.
Wednesday dawned cold and frosty on the Finniss River but the water level is up. We are only half way through the day and already it has been a busy one. More corflutes went up in Strathalbyn first thing, and then Di made the drive to Adelaide for a book launch at the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery to mark Indigenous Literacy Day. It was a lovely event with readings from “Kungun Ngarrindjeri Miminar Yunnan” – a new book from Spinifex Press – singing and plenty of pies and sushi for lunch – very cosmopolitan!
Then it was a quick dash across the Torrens to meet up with John Schumann (lead singer of Redgum and the only man to come close to unseating Alexander Downer back in 1998) at St Anne’s College in North Adelaide. Hanging in the lovely eating hall is a portrait of Dr. Helen Mayo, the founder of St. Anne’s College and also the electorate’s name-sake. John said Dr. Mayo reminded him of his grandmother. The ABC was in attendance and there was a lively conversation! John is very excited about Di’s campaign and says she is Mayo’s best hope! He reckons Canberra needs a person like her – smart, insightful, courageous and independently minded!
Then it was a quick dash back to Finniss for a cup of tea before setting off to the Mayo Federal Candidates Forum at the Aldgate Memorial Hall at 7pm. Perhaps we will see you there!
John Schumann says Di Bell can and should win. Christopher Pyne is not in favour of an Independent for Mayo. Well have a look at what others are saying:
Corflutes are sprouting all over Mayo – new ones appeared in Macclesfield, Echunga, Stirling, Algate, Meadows, Handorf and many points in between. The trusty campaign ute spent the day in Aberfoyle Park, camped out at the library, where lots of people wanted to stop and chat. We heard a lot of powerful stories.
Di spend the day answering questions from electors by phone and email. They want to know about her policies on work choices. She told them she does not agree with the erosion of workers’ rights and noted in particular the research that shows the differential impact on women’s earnings under the work choices regime. She took time out to walk along the Finniss beach and to admire the new shoots that have come up after rain. We should not be contemplating letting salt water into the Lakes.
We all ate a lovely dinner at the pub in Langhorne Creek, where Di made a brief speech and then we got down to the serious business of eating, drinking and chatting. There was talk of the August rainfall, and of the small signs of the country regenerating, but everyone is still worried about what will happen to the Murray and to them!
The campaign ute ended the day at headquarters, resting and ready for the trip back to Aberfoyle Park in the morning and then to Algate in the evening for the debate – see you there!
New corflutes went up around Mayo in the last twenty-four hours – “Nick’s for Di Bell, because Di’s for the River.” Senator Nick Xenophon is supporting Di’s campaign in every way he can: today it was a photo of Nick and Diane shaking hands in shades of blue and white! Nick will be back in Mayo on Saturday – we are all looking forward to seeing him.
The campaign ute was spotted all over the west: Goolwa, Victa, Cape Jervis, Myponga, Willunga Hill, Port Elliot. The rain was amazing in Parawa, coming down in sheets, and everyone got very wet! No surprise that Parawa is one of the wettest places in Mayo – it certainly was today.
The ute stopped in Normanville for pies (yum), an op-shop run (for dry clothes) and a quick chat with passersby – one man wanted to know how Di would get the water to run and stayed to listen to the answer and take a voter’s card. The ute stopped again in Yankalilla spending time with the volunteers at the Meals-on-Wheels Op Shop who were excited to hear that Di understood the lot of pensioners in her electorate. The ute even made landfill in Mt Compass where the coffee was hot and the toilets cold! And Currency Creek has been rising steadily all day!
We all ate a lovely dinner at the pub in Langhorne Creek, where Di made a brief speech and then we got down to the serious business of eating, drinking and chatting. There was talk of the August rainfall, and of the small signs of the country regenerating, but everyone is still worried about what will happen to the Murray and to them!
The ute stopped in Normanville for pies (yum), an op-shop run (for dry clothes) and a quick chat with passersby – one man wanted to know how Di would get the water to run and stayed to listen to the answer and take a voter’s card. The ute stopped again in Yankalilla spending time with the volunteers at the Meals-on-Wheels Op Shop who were excited to hear that Di understood the lot of pensioners in her electorate. The ute even made landfill in Mt Compass where the coffee was hot and the toilets cold! And Currency Creek has been rising steadily all day!
