One Nation candidate Darren Hercus is returning to contest Nepean at November’s Victorian state election, less than five months after securing almost a quarter of the first-preference vote at the seat’s May by-election.
For Hercus, there is a simple reason for going through it all again.
There is still “unfinished business”.
STPL News caught up with Hercus at his factory in Dromana on Sunday before heading down to Jetty Road Brewery for a nice lunch.
It was a far cry from the speeches, banners and campaign machinery of a political launch.
During lunch, the conversation was interrupted several times by people approaching the table and asking to have their photo taken with Hercus.
But with the state election approaching, the conversation soon returned to politics and why Darren Hercus is contesting Nepean again.
Darren Hercus Returns To Nepean
Asked why he would return after an election campaign that can be vicious and personally demanding, Hercus said he remained dissatisfied with both the Labor Government and the Liberal opposition.
“We still need change. The government’s let us down through financial mismanagement, and also I don’t think the Liberal Party’s done enough to stand up to the current Labor government.”
For Hercus, there was also a more personal reason.
“Not having another crack in November would be sort of like unfinished business for myself personally as well.”
Hercus received 9,941 first-preference votes, or 24.52 per cent, at the 2 May Nepean by-election, according to Victorian Electoral Commission results.
Liberal candidate Anthony Marsh received 38.68 per cent, while independent Tracee Hutchison received 21.05 per cent. Marsh ultimately won the seat following the distribution of preferences.
One Nation has since endorsed Hercus to contest Nepean again at November’s Victorian state election.
Is A Vote For One Nation A Vote For The Liberals?
The issue of preferences was raised during the interview, including what ultimately happens to ballots cast for a minor-party candidate.
Hercus was asked directly what he would say to voters who believed supporting One Nation would ultimately help return a Liberal candidate.
He rejected that characterisation.
“A vote for One Nation is definitely just a vote for One Nation.”
Hercus said the rise of alternatives such as One Nation reflected dissatisfaction with the opposition being offered by the Liberal Party.
“Regardless of who’s in government, you need strong opposition to have good governance.”
The preference figures from the May by-election provide some context.
When Hercus was excluded from the count, his progressive tally stood at 11,115 votes. Of those ballots, 8,614 transferred to Marsh and 2,501 to Hutchison, according to the VEC preference distribution.
However, in Victorian Legislative Assembly elections, those preferences are determined by how individual voters number their ballot papers. A voter’s first preference initially counts for that candidate. If that candidate is later excluded, the ballot moves to the voter’s next available preference.
Rosebud Hospital PPP Remains A Key Issue
The future of Rosebud Hospital was another major issue during the Nepean by-election.
In particular, One Nation supported exploring a public-private partnership, or PPP, as a way of financing a redevelopment.
Hercus said he believed the proposal had been misrepresented during the campaign.
“There was misinformation out there that One Nation wanted to privatise the hospital. That simply wasn’t true.”
Hercus said the proposal was about accessing private finance to deliver a new public hospital.
“We were looking at utilising private funds to get the hospital built.”
Public-private partnerships can take different forms, with the precise ownership, financing, maintenance and service arrangements determined by the individual contract.
There are already examples of the model within Victoria’s public hospital system.
The $1.1 billion redevelopment of the former Frankston Hospital, now Peninsula University Hospital, was delivered through a PPP. Under that arrangement, the Exemplar Health consortium designed, constructed, financed and will maintain the new facility for 25 years.
According to the Victorian Health Building Authority, the hospital remains public and all clinical healthcare services continue to be provided by Bayside Health.
Other Victorian hospital projects, including the Royal Children’s Hospital, have also used PPP arrangements.
That does not mean any future Rosebud Hospital project would use exactly the same model. The final ownership, financing, maintenance and clinical-service arrangements would depend on the terms of any proposal ultimately adopted.
For Hercus, the central argument remains that alternative financing options should be considered if they can deliver the redevelopment.
Homelessness On The Mornington Peninsula
Homelessness was one of the issues Hercus spoke most strongly about when One Nation launched its Nepean campaign earlier this month.
He returned to the issue during Sunday’s interview.
Hercus said One Nation was not yet prepared to make specific funding commitments, arguing the party first wanted a clearer picture of Victoria’s finances.
“We need to do a full audit of the state finances before we can make any financial commitments.”
However, he said homelessness on the Mornington Peninsula would be an issue he would advocate strongly on if elected.
The scale of the problem has continued to grow.
Mornington Peninsula Shire reported that about 168 people were sleeping rough on the Mornington Peninsula at the end of May, representing a 32 per cent increase over the previous six months.
The Shire said the Mornington Peninsula has one of the highest rates of homelessness in regional Victoria.
The Victorian Government announced $2.1 million in July for a dedicated assertive outreach team, including two outreach workers over four years. Mornington Peninsula Shire welcomed the funding but said sustained investment in social and affordable housing, crisis accommodation and support services was still required.
Hercus said addressing homelessness also meant looking at what caused people to lose stable housing in the first place.
“I think prevention is a big part of it.”
He pointed to financial pressure, substance abuse, family violence and other complex circumstances as issues that can contribute to homelessness.
Transparency And A Local Campaign
As the interview wrapped up, Hercus was asked what voters should expect from him during his second Nepean campaign.
His answer was brief.
“The government needs to be more transparent. That’s a big issue.”
“A vote for One Nation is a vote for transparency.”
Hercus lives in Safety Beach and is a structural engineer and small-business owner. His business operates within the building industry, and he has repeatedly pointed to his experience running a local business as shaping his political priorities.
For Hercus, the coming campaign is no longer an introduction to Nepean voters.
He has already contested the seat, secured almost one in four first-preference votes and experienced both the attention and scrutiny that comes with stepping into politics.
By Sunday afternoon, our conversation had moved from his Dromana factory to a brewery table, and from election preferences and hospital financing to homelessness and government transparency.
Between those conversations, people continued to stop by the table asking for a photograph.
Hercus’s explanation for why he is doing it all again remained much simpler.
There is still “unfinished business”.
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