At the 2019 election the ALP candidate, Bill Lodwick, polled 11,658 votes — second only to the sitting member Damian Drum (32,222 votes), who is retiring at this election.
No confirmation as to the name of the Labor candidate has been provided, although The Riv was able to establish that an approach had been made to a Goulburn Valley Australian Metal Workers Union representative.
Jason Hefford, a member of the Goulburn Valley Trades and Labour Council and Australian Metal Workers Union National Secretary for the Food Industry, said he had spoken to the ALP about running as a candidate several weeks ago.
"I was certainly looking at it, but I no longer have the time,“ he said.
Mr Hefford said he “didn’t have a clue’’ who would be running as the Labor candidate in Nicholls.
“We have a branch party meeting tonight, but it is our regular monthly meeting. I am expecting that we will have two or three turn up, as is normal.
“We’ve discussed the upcoming election, but I am not sure who will be running.
“I was approached when Bill (Lodwick) indicated that he might pull out.
“I said I would give it a go, but that was a few weeks ago.”
Mr Hefford said he had been a volunteer at polling booths for years and had always been interested to see how the polling booths perform.
He said he had been an ALP member for many years and would be surprised if they didn’t run a candidate in Nicholls.
The political rumour mill has been running full tilt since the announcement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison that the election would be held on Saturday, May 21, but there is still no Labor candidate for the Nicholls electorate.
Interest in the ALP decision revolves primarily around the distribution of preferences, and because of the strong polling results by Labor nationally in recent months.
In an ABC poll, federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese and his party have a nine per cent lead on the Coalition.
The poll has Labor with a significant two party preferred lead, with 54.8 per cent compared to the Coalition’s 45.2 per cent
If that change was to be reflected in the Nicholls voting, then the allocation of preferences from Labor — potentially to Independent candidate Rob Priestly — could create an extremely close poll.
At an initial poll, in mid-March, just five per cent separated the three major parties and Mr Priestly.
It indicated there was 20.2 per cent support for the Liberal Party, represented at this election by Steve Brooks, with Sam Birrell and the Nationals holding 17 per cent and Mr Priestly 16.3 per cent. Close behind was Labor with 15.2 per cent.
More than 12 per cent of voters were undecided at the time of the poll.
Mr Priestly said he had struck no deal with Labor, or any other political party for that matter, in regard to preferences.
“I am not offering preference deals to anyone. I am encouraging everyone to vote for me and if they don’t vote for me, then I have asked them to put me second,” he said.
“This election will swing on preferences.”
Mr Priestly said he was prepared to work with anyone to get good outcomes for Nicholls.
“My commitment is to my community and never to a party.”
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