Murky process leaves us in the dark about our candidates
The nominations for LNP preselection in the federal electorate of Hinkler have closed.
The field of candidates remains officially murky.
That it does so, and that candidates names are treated as "top secret" indicates to what extent our aspiring politicians are bound and gagged by internal LNP protocols.
It's ludicrous.
All the LNP blather about discretion within the party at such delicate times is born of timidity.
Boffins are worried that an orderly Marquis of Queensbury preselection process might go pear shaped and that somebody might have a dig.
The rest of us just want to know who the potential candidates are. That most of the reputed nominees are public servants suggests the preselection won't be a blood sport.
Four of the six who have allegedly nominated are paid from the public purse.
As such, they are subject to strict codes of conduct.
Let's start in the south and work north through the LNP luminaries understood to have paid their $1500.
Remember, these are only the LNP candidates.
There is talk that Rob Messenger, former MP for Bundaberg, might stand for the Katter Party. Labor is trying to cajole some cannon fodder into the open.
The Greens might trot somebody out and there may be an independent in the mix.
But from the LNP vaults we have Len Fehlhaber, a school principal in Maryborough, who resides in Hervey Bay.
Geoff Redpath lives in Hervey Bay and has a private accounting business in the same city.
The balance of the candidates are based in the north of the electorate.
Cathy Heidrich is sitting member Paul Neville's media and research officer and is widely expected to receive at least his unofficial backing.
Greg McMahon is a parole and probation officer with Corrective Services and Chris McLoughlin works in Member for Bundaberg Jack Dempsey's office.
Keith Pitt is managing director of the Australian Safety and Training Alliance. We should not the survivors of the endorsement process by next week.
