Press Release: Community at the Heart of Mount Alexander
Meet the Candidates Event
17 September 2024
A collective of independent, local community groups is coming together to present a ‘Mount
Alexander Meet the Candidates’ event at the Theatre Royal, 11am-1pm on 29th September
- The conversation event will provide a platform for the broader community to hear from
candidates on a range of issues impacting people in the Shire including housing, mental
health, climate, human rights, diversity and inclusion, and more. - Led by volunteers, the one-off event aims to provide local voters with the opportunity to hear
from candidates, not just about their values and future goals, but also about the actions they
intend to take in their 4 year tenure should they be elected. - The questions to candidates have been developed by local community groups who are
strongly connected to the communities they represent, including Mount Alexander Disability
Advisory Group, My Home Network, Castlemaine Safe Space, First Nations Solidarity
Group, Castlemaine Pride, Central Vic Climate Action, Castlemaine School Strike 4 Climate,
and more.
Candidates will also be invited to fill out their responses to the questions the groups are
presenting through an online questionnaire. The organisers say that the candidates’ answers
will be available on their website and the group’s social media platforms prior to, and during
the election period (5-25 October).
“We wanted to provide ways for local people to learn more about where the candidates
stand on some of the key issues people are concerned about”, said Tina Helm, one of the
organisers of the initiative.
“The nature of local council elections does not allow for a lot of time to get to know the
candidates, their values, their priorities, or their plans for representing their constituents over
the next 4 years should they be elected.”
“At the same time we want to give locals groups a voice, engage more people in the
upcoming election, and strengthen community connections to local government.”
The ballot draw, which is when the first official candidate announcement is made, will take
place on September 18th, and voting, which is by post, runs from October 7th through to
October 25th.
END
For further comment and information, please contact Tina Helm.
Ph: 0497207955 or email meetthecandidatesmtalexander@gmail.com
Learn more + register here: https://events.humanitix.com/mount-alexander-meet-the-
candidates-2024
Meet the Candidates website: https://meetthecandidatesmtalexander.com.au
Stay tuned for updates from the organisers on Insta + Facebook
More information about Mount Alexander Shire elections:
https://vec.vic.gov.au/voting/2024-local-council-elections/mount-alexander-shire-council