Voices for Ovens Valley seeks Community Independent for 2026 Victorian election

A newly formed community group, Voices for Ovens Valley (V4OV), is seeking potential candidates to run against long-standing Nationals MP Tim McCurdy in the upcoming Victorian election. V4OV announced they are inviting residents across Moira, Wangaratta and Alpine local government areas to "help shape the future of state representation ahead of the 2026 Victorian State election". The announcement said V4OV aims to support a fair, transparent and community-led process to identify and endorse a Community Independent candidate to represent the Ovens Valley electorate in the Victorian Parliament. “We think our community will be best served by a Community Independent who listens, goes into bat for us and is not beholden to any political party,” V4OV spokesperson Brian Thompson said. “It starts now. "We want to hear from people across the electorate. "Please do the five-minute survey, tell us what is important to you and what you expect from your representative in state Parliament." Mr Thompson said V4OV was grounded in the values of community, courage, respect and integrity - and called on residents to: • contribute to the region-wide community survey https://www.voicesforovensvalley.org/get-involved; • sign up for updates and upcoming events; and • take part in shaping the process for independent representation. Although V4VO is a new and completely separate organisation, Mr Thompson said they were drawing on the experience and model of Voices For Indi and other community independent movements for this process. The group's website www.voicesforovensvalley.org further explained the reason for the campaign, stressing they were not campaigning against any individual. "Communities and circumstances evolve," the website explained under the Why we exist" section. "Many people across the electorate are asking whether the current model of representation is delivering the strongest possible voice for a region facing new pressures and opportunities. "We believe the community deserves the chance to reflect on that question and choose its preferred path at the 2026 election." The Nationals have held the seat since it was first formed in 2014 with sitting member Tim McCurdy. Before 2014 it was largely in the Murray Valley electorate which was formed in 1945. The electorate has only had four MPs: George Moss (1945-73) and Bill Baxter (1973-76) for the Country Party, the predecessor of the National Party; then Ken Jasper (National Party 1976-2010); and now Mr McCurdy for the revamped Nationals. Of the past three elections (2014, 2018, 2022) in the Ovens Valley electorate, independent candidates have only run on two occasions, with Tammy Atkins the most successful in 2018 capturing more than 19 per cent of the primary vote. The 2022 election had seven candidates, all from political parties, with Mr McCurdy increasing his primary vote to more than 52 per cent. When asked for comment about the V4OV, Mr McCurdy said the upcoming election is an opportunity to remove the Allan Labor Government and deliver Victorians with a fresh start. "I strongly believe in our democratic process, and it is a privilege to represent so many amazing communities across the Ovens Valley electorate," he said. "However, The Nationals are the only party who focus solely on the needs of regional Victorians. "The only way we can end the waste, stop the crime crisis, bring down cost of living and improve our health system is with a strong Nationals and Liberal government." Further details about the candidate V40V Expression of Interests (EOI) process and how to engage with the community review and endorsement process will be released in late-March via the group’s website. Anyone with questions, including potential candidates, is encouraged to contact team@voicesforovensvalley.org. Further information, including the community survey, is available via the Voices for Ovens Valley website. www.voicesforovensvalley.org.

Voices for Ovens Valley seeks Community Independent for 2026 Victorian election

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