O’Connor coy after independent filming

Andrew Mathieson
OUTGOING Corio Labor MP Gavan O’Connor has made a cameo appearance in a political film about an independent candidate but refuses to say whether life will imitate art.
Mr O’Connor said his few lines in Australian-produced The Independent had fulfilled a long-standing interest in the film industry and an opportunity to relive local history on celluloid.
“You shouldn’t read anything into this,” he joked about his film role yesterday.
The federal Corio member since 1993 has been resisting calls to stand as an independent at the next election, tipped to be announced in the coming weeks for November. Labor controversially dumped Mr O’Connor at preselection for right-wing union heavyweight Richard Marles amid allegations of branch-stacking.
Despite Mr Marles entrenched in going to the polls for the ALP, Mr O’Connor hinted yesterday his “direction is politics”.
“I am a participator, not a spectator in politics,” he said.
The role offer arrived after the son of a former Labor Member for Burke approached Mr O’Connor to play a part in The Independent after the film-maker’s father, Neil O’Keefe, could not commit to the shoot.
Director Andrew O’Keefe initially wanted the Corio MP to play a major role but he declined. He was instead offered a brief cameo as a political commentator on election night.
“I said to them send me the script and they said ‘No, come down and shoot the scene and you can make it up’,” he said.
“They wanted an authentic politician’s approach.
“I asked when do you want me and they said in two hours.”