Former Geraldton MP steps ups as Nationals candidate for Durack as Federal election date set

The fight for the Federal seat of Durack will be a three-person race, with former State MP Ian Blayney emerging as a late contender before the election was called at the weekend. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced voters would head to the polls on May 21, hours after Mr Blayney was declared the Nationals candidate for Durack. Mr Blayney was Geraldton MP for 12½ years before Labor’s Lara Dalton was swept to victory in the 2021 election. He spent the bulk of his time in State Parliament as a Liberal MP before defecting to the Nationals in 2019. The ex-MP has his work cut out for him, going up against Liberal Durack MP and Defence Industries Minister Melissa Price and Labor’s first-time candidate Jeremiah Riley. Based in Broome, Mr Riley has travelled throughout the electorate as a native title lawyer, the CEO of the small Indigenous community of Ardyaloon (One Arm Point), and a business consultant. Mr Blayney said he was looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail taking up the issues important to the electorate. “I will be a champion for the people of Durack and WA by ensuring their voices are heard on a Federal level,” Mr Blayney said. “Better mobile communications, further sustainable development of agriculture in the north of the State, increased defence presence and improving access to affordable childcare are all key issues for the electorate.” State Nationals president Tony Crook said Mr Blayney’s experience as a former regional MP meant he would hit the ground running ahead of the election. “Ian has a wealth of experience, is a seasoned campaigner and understands the issues facing the electorate of Durack,” Mr Crook said. Greens’ candidate Bianca McNeair is also contesting the seat, with her campaign to centre around tackling climate change and representing the region’s Indigenous communities. In her role as co-chair of the steering committee for National First People’s Gathering on Climate Change, the Geraldton-born Malgana woman said she has worked to create of a code of conduct for scientists working with Aboriginal communities. “I believe strongly in creating spaces that are safe and accessible for Aboriginal people to feel empowered to act on climate,” Ms McNeair said. The Coalition starts the six-week election campaign with 76 seats while Labor has 69 of the 151 total in the House of Representatives. This takes into account redistributions in Victoria and WA since the last election. Comprising of 41 local government areas, Durack is the largest electorate in Australia and the second largest in the world. It spans more than 1.6 million square km, covering everywhere from the Kimberley and Pilbara regions in the north to parts of the Wheatbelt further south of Geraldton. Mrs Price has held the vast electorate of Durack since 2013, and the Liberals currently have a 13.5 per cent margin.