Indi is suffering from safe seat syndrome — Trenery

By Simon Ruppert

May 2, 2025

Liberal candidate for Indi James Trenery feels the electorate is suffering from what he calls safe seat syndrome. Photo by Contributed

At the 2022 federal election, Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines increased her margin in Indi to 8.9 per cent.

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Liberal candidate for Indi James Trenery said this makes Indi a safe independent seat, as declared by the ABC election analysis.

“And it feels like it, too,” Mr Trenery said.

“Over the past three years, funding has been cancelled, programmes have been hollowed out, or worst of all, funding has never arrived.

“Over and over again, independent candidates have told us that we need to make the seat marginal to get results. It looks like when independent seats get ‘safe’, they get comfortable.

“Projects don’t get delivered, and our views don’t get represented.”

Mr Trenery provided examples.

“Only one new mobile phone tower was funded in Indi over the past three years, 70 were funded in the nine years prior, since the funding stream began,” he said.

“While Helen Haines was campaigning for the Voice Referendum, that cost the country $500 million, interest rates went up 12 times — costing a family with an average size mortgage $50,000 more — money they will never get back.

“But at the same time, 66.9 per cent of our community voted no in the referendum.

“Zero Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (have been) built in Indi.

“Zero homes built, and zero dollars spent from Helen Haines’ $2 billion unfunded Housing Fund announced in 2023.

“Helen Haines has delivered $0 in hospital funding for a new Albury-Wodonga hospital.

“Helen Haines delivered $0 of cost-of-living support to locals who are doing it tough in this cost-of-living crisis.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars for dangerous roads (have been) cut – like the Rutherglen Bypass and McKoy St – Hume Freeway Overpass projects (which were) cancelled.

“Helen Haines voted with the Greens against minimum mandatory sentences for those convicted of terrorism offences.

“Since 2022, Helen Haines has voted in parliament 76 per cent of the time with the Greens. (Source: Parliamentary Library analysis of Hansard voting records).

“When you cast your vote this election, you have an opportunity to end this independent safe seat syndrome. It’s time for change in Indi to get Australia back on track.”