Former councillor and a Deputy Mayor Oscar Lobo, who served the Glen Eira City Council for seven years, has decided to run as an Independent candidate for the State Seat of Bentleigh in the next Victorian State election in 2018. The Electoral district of Bentleigh is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, which covers the suburbs of Bentleigh, Hampton East, McKinnon, Moorabbin, parts of Bentleigh East, Brighton East. It also includes the Moorabbin campus of the Monash Medical Centre.
Residents of this electorate are reported to have approached Mr Lobo to stand for the next State elections, having seen him in the chambers standing for residents even though he once belonged to Labour.
“Political attachment for voting is totally different from attachment to footy or rugby teams as decisions to elect a person should not be on emotional or family basis”
— Oscar Lobo
Mr Lobo’s priorities for Bentleigh electorate include a no nonsense policy on crime, introduction of a “name and shame register” for rapists and paedophiles, ensuring tax payers’ money is properly used—“and not used to chauffeur pets or to buy a second home”, and better protection for overseas students, as well as kids in schools.
Mr Lobo and his family have previously lived in five countries and he has wide experience working with people from different walks of life in banking, politics and marketing.
Mr Lobo says that most of the Australians elect parties every four years on the basis of family history of voting a party. “Political attachment for voting is totally different from attachment to footy or rugby teams as decisions to elect a person should not be on emotional or family basis,” he says.
“We have around 170,000 people of Indian population in Victoria and the Bentleigh electorate has Sri Lankan, Fijian and other multicultural communities who have professionals such as doctors, dentists, lawyers, bankers, teachers and councillors, and yet there has been no Indian MP to represent the community. That’s why I want to make a change,” he adds.
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