FORMER Indigo Shire mayor James Trenery will represent the Liberal Party against Indi MP Helen Haines in the next federal election.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Upper Murray transport business operator defeated Michael McKinnell and Travis Vincent, who live outside the Indi electorate, in a party preselection held at Benalla's Lakeside Community Centre on Saturday June 29.
It is understood he won a majority of the 92 ballots in the first round of voting.
Mr Trenery attributed his success to being a "local bloke" in Indi, which stretches from the edge of Melbourne to Corryong.
"For 30 years I've been volunteering and doing things in the community, so I think that was a big part of it," Mr Trenery said.
"People know that I'm going to deliver, I did when I was on council."
Mr Trenery sat on Indigo Council from 2012 to 2020 and was mayor in 2015-16.
He said his experience of local government had taught him that in politics "you've really got to fight for everything".
"That's what I'll be doing, hitting the ground fighting," Mr Trenery said.
Asked whether he thought Dr Haines was doing a good or bad job, Mr Trenery declined to comment.
"I'm probably not going to speak about the current member at the moment, it's about us having solutions to what the people of Indi want," he said.
However, the Talgarno resident was clear in his views about Dr Haines in his promotional brochure to Liberal preselectors, claiming she is "Canberra-centric".
"While previous independent Cathy McGowan was viewed by many as a local and member of the community, Helen Haines is increasingly being viewed as 'another one of those Canberra politicians'," Mr Trenery wrote.
Also, in the document, he labelled Dr Haines a 'social justice activist' due to her stance on the Indigenous Voice referendum and Israel-Hamas war.
"Helen Haines does not represent the average Indi voter," Mr Trenery wrote.
"Strongly promoting the 'Voice Yes' vote and voting with the Greens on the ongoing issue of Gaza, her priorities are wrong and misguided."
An endorsement from Wodonga mayor and Liberal Party member Ron Mildren was contained in Mr Trenery's candidacy flyer.
"James is a person of high integrity, intelligence and is very personable within the wider community," Cr Mildren stated.
Mr Trenery said he would be focussing on cost of living and power issues, noting opposition to battery and solar projects being on North East farmland.
"It's a concern right from Dederang, as you well know, down to Meadow Creek and everywhere in between, those organised local communities, I'll certainly be communicating with them," he said.
On the issue of Albury-Wodonga health services, Mr Trenery would not say if he supported the construction of a new Twin Cities hospital.
When asked if there should be a new Albury-Wodonga hospital, he replied: "I'm not going to make any announcements now, but I'm sure the party will have more to say on that later on."
Pressed on the matter, Mr Trenery said: "The Wodonga hospital is very important to me, my wife was born there, my kids were born there, my grandson was born there, so I'll keep fighting for the community."
Former Corangamite MP Senator Sarah Henderson, who represented federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton at Saturday's preselection formally congratulated Mr Trenery on behalf of the party.
"James will be working very hard, hitting the ground running from day one to be that strong Liberal voice right across Indi," Senator Henderson said.
Mr Trenery operates Lavington-based transport business Keats Freight.
"I'm running a local business, but I've structured it to the point where we've employed people so my time isn't taken away there, I can hit the ground running," he said.
"In the next week there isn't a town I'm going to miss."
