Local teacher and farmer Gemma Rendell is aiming to become the first female Member for Gippsland East after being chosen as The Nationals candidate for the state election in November this year.
Ms Rendell, who is a born and bred East Gippslander, says her focus will be on delivering a fair share of government funding for the region and improving essential services for people of all ages.
The Nationals state president Chris Nixon formally announced Ms Rendell’s candidacy after a meeting of the party’s executive.
“The Nationals stand for a safer, fairer and more affordable regional Victoria where everyone can get ahead and Gemma Rendell will be an outstanding advocate for Gippsland East,” Mr Nixon said.
“Regional Victoria has been let down by Labor’s waste and corruption. We will be working hard in The Nationals to make sure Gemma will be joining a strong team in State Parliament which is focused on the issues that matter to people who live outside Melbourne.”
Ms Rendell has experience as a teacher at pre-school, primary and TAFE level, and a strong background in the agricultural sector. She lives in Bairnsdale with her seven-year-old daughter and partner Baden.
“I am honoured to be given the opportunity to run for State Parliament. I have the energy, passion and experience to represent the people of Gippsland East, and I will spend every day between now and November demonstrating that I’m the right person for the job,” Ms Rendell said.
“People of all ages are struggling with the increased cost of living and I share their frustration that Melbourne-centric policies have left us behind in regional areas.
“Younger voters and female voters want to see a candidate they can relate to. My lived experience of balancing work and family life is no different to the situation many East Gippslanders face today.
“Striving to get ahead and doing their best to look after their families and making a contribution to our community. That’s my story and that’s the story of East Gippsland.
“I have loved raising my family and working in East Gippsland. I want to be a strong voice and positive example to young families that you can have a prosperous future living and working in our magnificent region.”
Ms Rendell is active in sporting and community groups and is looking forward to listening to the concerns of locals.
“It’s a large electorate and I will be out and about from Heyfield to Mallacoota, meeting locals and working on positive plans for the future,” she said.
“As a keen hunter and angler, I see first-hand the green tape Labor and the Greens have added which impacts our way of life.
“As a farmer, I know the costs of compliance and red tape is making it harder to make a living on the land.
“As a teacher, I know we need to do more to help young people in our community get the education they need to succeed in life.
“As a mother, I know we need better access to doctors and health services.
“And as a proud East Gippslander, I know our region already makes an amazing contribution to the wealth of Victoria but with more funding for roads, hospitals, emergency services and local infrastructure, our community would be even stronger.”
Retiring MP Tim Bull said he was looking forward to hitting the campaign trail with Ms Rendell in the months leading up to the election on Saturday, November 28.
“Gemma is the right candidate at the right time for our region,” Mr Bull said.
“She brings energy and the local knowledge of growing up in our region, becoming qualified as a teacher, and making a contribution as a volunteer in our community.
“I will be doing everything I can to help her join The Nationals team in State Parliament that is willing to do the hard work and release fully-costed policies on energy, housing affordability, crime prevention, transport infrastructure, health, education and the future of farming.
“We’ve already announced two major policies which we both fully support – scrapping the emergency services tax and the Nationals Fair Share Guarantee.
“Guaranteeing 25 per cent of infrastructure funding will be returned to regional Victoria is a game-changer for our community and a chance to improve the roads, critical infrastructure and facilities we need to prosper as a region.
“The only way to get a fair share for regional Victoria is to vote for Gemma and the Nationals this November.”
