McKenzie Takes Aim at Independent Candidate Ben Smith

The Member for Flinders Zoe McKenzie, Liberal Party candidate, has taken aim at independent candidate Ben Smith in a recent social media post, responding to his call for voters to abandon the major political parties. Smith made the comments at a political forum hosted by the Committee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula just days earlier, sparking McKenzie’s sharp rebuttal.

In a video shared across her social media platforms, McKenzie didn’t hold back as she hit back at Smith’s criticism that the major parties have “failed to address the issues that matter most” to the Mornington Peninsula. Standing at the Alexandra Park Pavilion in Mornington, McKenzie took the opportunity to highlight her role in securing funding for the upgraded facility, which now serves as a community hub for local sports clubs and health services.

“Hi, you may have heard a cashed-up candidate for Flinders complain that the major parties have done nothing for the Mornington Peninsula. Well, here I am at the Alexandra Park Pavilion,”

She began, pointing to the revamped space that benefits local clubs like the Mornington Football Netball Club and the Peninsula Raiders Super Rules Football Club.

McKenzie went on to emphasise the $2.6 million investment from the coalition government that made the pavilion’s redevelopment possible. She highlighted how federal, state, and local governments came together to transform the site into a multi-use facility that not only offers sporting amenities but also provides health services to the community.

“The pavilion’s cooperation with the bays just over there across the road has transformed it from a sporting venue to a multi-use facility that can offer both sporting amenities and healthcare services at the same time,”

McKenzie said, underscoring the new medical and wellness services now available.

Titled “WHAT HAVE THE ROMANS EVER DONE FOR US,” McKenzie’s video clearly took aim at Smith’s rhetoric, invoking a famous line from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which challenges the value of Roman rule. McKenzie’s post questioned the validity of Smith’s claims, stating that while “Labor might have fallen short”, the Liberal Party had delivered.

“The campaign hasn’t even started yet, and I am already tired of one candidate trying to tell the people of Flinders that the major parties have ‘failed to address the issues that matter most,’”

McKenzie wrote.

“That might be true of Labor, but for the Liberal Party, well let me remind you…”

Smith’s remarks about rejecting the traditional political parties continue to form the core of his campaign, which promises an independent voice free from party politics. But with the election race heating up, McKenzie’s video is a clear sign that she’s ready for a fight and eager to remind voters of the tangible results delivered by the coalition government.

Despite that no election date has been announced by the Albanesegovernment, the campaign for Flinders is beginning to heat up with candidates pushing hard to win the favour of Mornington Peninsula voters.