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ALP names candidate for Leichhardt

Daniel Strudwick

Saturday, February 16, 2013

© The Cairns Post

 

BILLY Gordon is aware his name isn't well known to most of the voters in Leichhardt, but he reckons there's an advantage to being a new face in Australian politics.

The father-of-five has been endorsed as Labor's candidate to take on the LNP's Warren Entsch in the federal election on September 14.

"I think it's good for the electorate that there's a fresh face out there new ideas, new people and new energy," Mr Gordon revealed to The Weekend Post.

"I think in general, people are not really happy with the political discourse in the region and there's an opportunity for new people to come along and give people the change they want."

Mr Gordon, 40, would be Labor's first indigenous member in the House of Representatives if he won the seat of Leichhardt, which Mr Entsch holds with a margin of 4.6 per cent.

"From a family point of view, I'd be very proud of that," he said.

"And looking at national affairs, I think it would be a good thing considering we've just had the fifth anniversary of Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generation and the passing of the Act of Reconciliation with bi-partisan support.

"We're at a point in the nation's history where this would be a very good thing, a very healthy thing."

Mr Gordon has pledged support to the party's big-ticket policies such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the National Broadband Network and the Gonski education reforms.

But he recognises most of Leichhardt's voters live in Cairns and its surrounds, where issues such as jobs and investment will be critical platforms on the months-long election campaign.

"Employment is such a big thing as a parent you want to be able to provide for your family," he said.

 


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Fresh face: Billy Gordon will be Labor's first indigenous MP if he wins Leichhardt. Picture: MIKE WATT





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