By Luke Voogt
Mining billionaire Clive Palmer’s Corio candidate has promised to make the proposed Northern ARC health hub his top issue.
“It’s the number one that I’ll be looking at,” said United Australia Party’s Desmond Sanborn.
“If I get elected I’ll be fighting for the Northern ARC as of day one. That plus jobs.”
But Mr Sanborn stopped short of a concrete pledge for the project during candidate nomination declarations in Geelong on Wednesday.
His promise follows Geelong’s council and local lobby groups, businesses and charities making a “united pitch” for funding on Tuesday.
Council pledged $20.6 million for the proposed Norlane centre to replace the aging Leisure Link, and is campaigning for $41 million in state and federal funding.
The Australian this week reported Mr Sanborn’s party could gain the balance of power in the senate following Clive Palmer’s $30 million election advertising blitz.
A former South African and now Australian citizen, Mr Sanborn took last place on the ballot paper for Corio.
Labor MP Richard Marles last won Corio by 10 per cent and his party has held the electorate since 1967.
While winning was Mr Sanborn’s “number one” goal, he hoped to lessen that margin to attract federal funding.
“Every day you open the paper, someone else in (nearby marginal seat) Corangamite’s getting some kind of funding,” he said.
“But we don’t see any of that from the two big parties for Corio.”
Mr Marles took the coveted top spot on the ballot paper, while last-minute Liberal candidate Alistair Thomson took second and The Greens’ Amber Forbes took third.
Mr Marles said many projects, including the Northern ARC, were important to the Corio electorate and worthy of government investment.
But constituents he spoke to in Norlane and Corio were more concerned with access to bulk billing health services, proper school funding and an adequate Newstart or aged pension, he said.
The Liberals disendorsed previous candidate Murray Angus last week after he “failed” to comply with its the rules and procedures, a party spokesperson said.
Mr Thomson declined to comment on his preselction or campaign for Corio before a briefing from Liberal headquarters.
Eight candidates will contest Corangamite with Rise Up Australia Party’s Ian Erskine taking top spot on the ballot.
Labor candidate Libby Coker took second place while Liberal MP Sarah Henderson took sixth.
The ballot positioning could give Ms Coker a small advantage, after recent polling indicated a narrow Liberal lead in Corangamite.
Polling in December indicated a 0.03 per cent margin for Ms Coker, but a ReachTel poll of 788 voters this week indicated a two per cent margin for Ms Henderson.
The Greens Simon Northeast will appear third on the Corangamite ballot paper followed by Animal Justice Party’s Naomi Adams and independent Damien Cole.
United Australia Party’s Neil Harvey and Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party’s Mandy Grimley came seventh and eighth on the ballot.
