Prominent shareholder activist and Crikey founder Stephen Mayne has formally declared his candidacy for a Senate spot in Victoria at next month’s federal election, just hours after announcing a parallel push for a seat in the Victorian upper house.
After warning of a potential run for the Northern Metropolitan Region on his website The Mayne Report for months, the serial candidate appeared to confirm his intentions on Facebook yesterday afternoon. But late last night, that post was deleted, and a press release issued in the early hours of this morning spruiking a Senate bid instead.
Crikey contacted Mayne this morning, who said that a “staffer” had included erroneous reference to Northern Metro on Facebook, but that he was still potentially in the race, pending the Senate result and negotiations with Manningham Council, on which he serves as councillor for Heidi Ward.
Mayne will campaign heavily on a populist blow-up-the-pokies agenda that propelled South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon all the way to Canberra. The machines are a known scourge in Melbourne’s north, stripping millions of dollars out of addicts’ wallets and into government coffers.
On the deleted Facebook post, Mayne described the independent campaign as a “Nick Xenophon-style anti-pokies platform”, before urging followers to “get on board!”
The former Jeff Kennett press secretary has launched a bevy of failed political bids over his career including an ambitious run for the Mayor of Melbourne in 2001 and the Federal seat of Higgins in 2007. He was finally elected to Manningham Council in 2008.
He will need to snag an unlikely Steve Fielding-style preference run to land the sixth Senate spot in Victoria. In the more feasible state upper house, he will need a primary vote of around 5% enough to secure the fifth position if he can stay ahead of the micro-parties (and presuming he doesn’t finish last), to push him over the 16.7% quota required for a spot on the red leather.
Mayne is believed to have asked the Greens’ in-house psephologist Stephen Luntz and business partner Charles Richardson to cast an eye over both upper house possibilities, with Richardson settling on Northern Metropolitan at state level due to its relative fluidity compared to other regions. In both races, he will have to rely heavily on the Greens’ excess quota to get over the line.
In the Senate in Victoria, the sixth spot currently occupied by Fielding could open up if the Greens’ Richard Di Natale is able to win a seat from Labor’s Antony Thow in his own right.
Luntz said Mayne, who has also apparently been in discussions with the Greens’ state branch, would be hoping that in Victoria incumbent Greens’ Victorian upper house incumbent Greg Barber would garner around 19% of the vote — a “sweet spot” that would let the lanky activist hoard the party’s leftovers. Other party preferences, including the crisis-hit DLP, could also prove crucial.
Northern Metropolitan is currently occupied by three Labor MPs, one Liberal and one Green. However, Mayne will be hoping to dislodge the ALP’s third candidate Nathan Murphy, who is on tenterhooks as support for Labor in Melbourne’s north wanes. Murphy is a newcomer to the Legislative Council, appointed to a vacancy in March following the resignation of Theo Theophanous.
However, Luntz told Crikey that while the decision to re-enter the fray “wasn’t entirely crazy”, Mayne’s previous political performances “hadn’t exactly set the record books on fire.”
Mayne, who turns 41 today, has run twice at state level already. In 2006, he unsuccessfully as a candidate for the People Power group in Southern Metropolitan, before falling out with party director Vern Hughes over divisions between Mayne’s concern with pokies and Hughes’ affinity for the carers lobby. The party received just 1% of the upper house vote.
In 1999, Mayne launched revenge attack on his old boss in the state seat of Burwood at a byelection caused by Kennett’s resignation, emerging with a more impressive 6.63% of the vote — a result he will need to repeat to have any hope in November.
2 Comments
Mayne is a demagogue without the charisma. I suspect he’ll be as succesfull here as he has been in the past.
There appears to be an altruistic flavour to Stephen Mayne’s crusade to protect the good citizens of the Melbourne North environs. An imposition on an electorate where Stephen patronisingly knows what is good for them (ergo no pokies), yet seeking votes from people who in the main (no pun intended) are happy with their lot. Taking a line from that old Book, “there will always be the poor”, it follows that with all the flaws in our humanity, “there will always be those for whom gambling is a problem”.
As a self titled share holder activist, it would seem someone who is identifying with those having wealth – generally a requirement to enter the world of share ownership – is at the same time championing the cause of those whose only contact with world of company ownership is through their superannuation fund – well at arms length from their real world.
A natural suspicion will pervade.
If he is to run for state parliament, I would suggest a better platform would be “a fair go for sensible drivers”. Those increasingly suffering voters who live daily wiith the intervention of speed cameras, “holier than thou” traffic cops, and freeways contaminated with delays and interruptions caused by space greedy road fixers and careless drivers who drive badly (not necessarily speeding) or don’t even carry enough fuel to get them through the tunnels.
As drivers, our bad and not so bad habits cannot keep up with the technology available to record our indiscretions, resulting in even the most careful of us becoming candidates for a bluey.
And speaking of “holier than thou” attitudes, I tire of the politically correct statements of premier, roads ministers and senior police, tritely saying “if you don’t speed then you won’t get caught”. Leave the motherhood to their mothers.
All of us – even the premier – speed knowingly and unknowingly.
We drivers are not here to be a cash cow for government. For 90% of the time we drive by necessity. But most of us who are wary on the road, can become oblivious to that not many K’s over the speed limit that highly rewards a waiting arm of government ready to pounce on our indiscretions.
And then we are expected to feel good when we see a sign showing road improvements sponsored by a “your speeding fines at work.’ How patronising!
Similarly, we drivers tend to be apathetic about those time consuminig delays we experience on the freeways and tollways, caused by the careless behavious of others. From running out of petrol to poor lane changing, to mechanical breakdown, these major routes carry the litter of poor motoring. One car out of petrol, even off the road, has implications for the slow down in traffic volumes past a particular point.
So Stephen, consider this. How about a few changes along the way for the good of most motorists. How about a little generous thought for those of us who are compelled to drive for a living. Try these on.
That one demerit point offences, while accumulating to the twelve count, wash off in one year, rather than three.
That a five per cent tolerance over the allowed speed applies to speed cameras (not police in cars).
That runoffs and runons of freeways be at least one kilometre long.
That vehicles entering tunnels cannot show the low fuel light on (if one exists – very likely with most of the state’s public and private fleet).
That vehicles over ten years old or 200,000 kilometres on the clock are not allowed through tunnels.
That ANY drink driving offence has a minimum twelve month cancellation of licence.
That major roads, highways and tollways carry a “minimum speed” requirement – no more than 20% lower than the recommended speed.
That those found guilty of road rage have a minimum twelve month cancellation of licence.
That drivers caught with unroadworthy vehicles entering or exiting the tunnels be diqualified from using the tunnels for a period of twelve months.
That drivers over 70 prove they have the skills to drive, particularly in high speed environments.
That high volume speed camera sites have permanent general warning signage near by (not close by).
That road work sites are returned to motorists (where possible) for all peak hour running (7 till 9, 4 to six).
That road work builders are penalised for leaving unnecessary road closure signage and markings in place on traffic worthy roads.
Steven, we drivers need parliamentay representation. Not something to be left up to RACV – a lobbyer for those who think they have made it.
Stuff the shareholder activism. If you want to be a champion of the general punter, a fair go for sensible drivers will get you votes.