THE field of contestants for Dunkley in the upcoming federal election is growing.
Although Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has yet to announce an election date as of 16 March, the local campaign is already well underway. The Labor and Liberal parties have had their candidates locked in for months – incumbent MP Jodie Belyea will contest for Labor, and former Frankston mayor Nathan Conroy will get a second crack at the seat for the Liberals. Belyea and Conroy were the two major party candidates at the March 2024 by-election. Belyea emerged victorious with a slim 2.7 percent margin on the two-party-preferred count.
With the election expected sometime within the next two months, the minor parties have begun to name their candidates. Independents have also started to throw their hat into the ring. The Greens have named Matt Maber as its candidate for Dunkley – Maber’s profile reads “I’m running because I care about Dunkley and the people here. Growing up, I saw working-class families and renters like myself pushed out as costs soared. Many of my friends can no longer afford to live in the place they grew up. The system is failing us, and I’m stepping up to change it.”
Last week former Frankston Senior Citizen of the Year Rob Thurley declared his intention to run as an independent. Thurley is a long-time volunteer with the Kananook Creek Association, and has been among the leading voices in the fight against high-rise development near the Frankston foreshore. He says he wants to take that issue to Canberra. “I will take the fight to protect our UNESCO-rated coastline from greedy developers and lazy councils to Canberra and seek national protection for future generations,” Thurley said. “Do not trust the three main parties to do this as evidenced by an insane great wall on Kananook Creek proposed by Frankston Council. “Mandatory height levels to protect our coastline need to be mandated by Canberra for all Australians to protect the weakest links around the great Australian coastline.”
Jessica Davis, a former Monash Medical Centre worker who lost her job after the implementation of vaccine mandates, is One Nation’s candidate for Dunkley. Family First will run pastor Peter Nicholes as its candidate.
First published in the Frankston Times – 18 March 2025