Off and running: Nicholls candidates ready as election finally called

Mr Morrison visited the Governor-General’s office on Sunday morning to have the writs issued for the election.

“I know Australians have been through a very tough time the last few years,” Mr Morrison said after officially calling the election.

“This election is about you, no-one else. It’s about our country and its future.”

The five official candidates in Nicholls are raring to go, already months into campaigning to fill the seat that will be vacated by Nationals member Damian Drum.

Mr Drum’s retirement means both Nationals and Liberal candidates will contest the seat, with Sam Birrell and Steve Brooks representing those parties respectively.

Former Greater Shepparton City councillor Rob Priestly is standing as an independent, Dr Rob Peterson will run for the United Australia Party and Ricki-Lee Tyrell is the One Nation candidate.

There are still about two weeks for candidates to step forward, with no representatives from Labor or The Greens yet in the running for Nicholls.

The Greens’ former candidate, Nickee Freeman, stepped away from the party in February, disagreeing with its support of vaccine mandates.

“It’s about time,” Ms Tyrell said when Mr Morrison officially pulled the trigger.

“The sooner we have the election the better.”

All candidates welcomed the May 21 date for the Goulburn Valley and Australia to cast its vote.

Mr Birrell said he felt he was in a positive position about what the Nationals had done for the region and what they would do in the future.

“It’ll be a hard-fought campaign,” he said.

“I hope as the campaign narrows people see it as a real choice, which is a choice about a functioning government in uncertain time with a party completely focused on regional areas and delivering for those regional areas.”

Mr Brooks said he was looking forward to continuing conversations with people across the electorate, and encouraged voters to look at who had been speaking about issues for some time, instead of just during the election cycle.

“The feedback I have is increasingly positive,” he said.

Mr Priestly said he felt like there was an appetite for change across the electorate and there was some momentum behind his campaign.

“People are interested in the idea of an independent and we’re working really hard already to get to every corner of the electorate,” he said.

“I feel like locally and nationally there’s an appetite for better politicians and we need to make sure this race is focused on everyday people, not snappy one-liners or put-downs.”

Ms Tyrell said a lot of people were fed up with major parties and were unsure about independent representatives in Canberra.

“I’m feeling good, it’s already really interesting and up in the air — don’t ask me who’s going to win, it’s wide open,” she said.

Dr Peterson said he was “very excited” now the starting gun had been fired.

He said he was excited to get around to the electorate and speak about the policies which would be affecting Nicholls and Australia-wide, and said his party was concerned about the looming threat of inflation.

“I’m looking forward to meeting people and to getting together at events on stage with other candidates,” he said.