COONAWARRA identity Jon Ey will stand for the seat of MacKillop as an independent at next year’s state election.
The former information technology professional turned logistics operator joins Liberal candidate Nick McBride on the ballot in a bid to become the next member for MacKillop.
Mr Ey, who is also a member of the Limestone Coast Protection Alliance, said his motivation to stand for parliament stemmed from Beach Energy’s gas exploration project in Penola.
“Ever since they put down the first Jolly-1 well, it occurred to me we should not have this in our region,” Mr Ey said.
“They say fracking is unlikely to cause any environmental harm, but while they say it’s unlikely, it is possible that it might cause harm.
“Neither the Liberals nor Labor want to ban fracking and the only way we’re going to stop it is if we put a ban on it.
“Turnbull can easily tell Marshall to reverse the moratorium, we need to put a legislative ban on fracking and have some clear rules around the conventional gas drilling.
“I do not want our region’s reputation tarnished because of gas fields.”
A former Nick Xenophon SA Best hopeful, Mr Ey said his intention to contest the seat under the party was thwarted when he was unable to pay the party’s mandatory $20,000 campaign fee following the application process.
“I invested myself to running for MacKillop about five months ago and had hoped to run as part of the SA Best party,” he said.
“At the last federal election, there was a huge swing against the Liberal Party in Barker because people are looking for an alternative, and that’s one of the reasons why I went for SA Best.
“Nick does not think the seat is winnable and I have not got $20,000, so rather than pulling out all together I decided to run as an independent.”
Mr Ey highlighted health and hospital services, infrastructure and education as key areas of concern for the electorate.
“A lot of things in this area have been neglected for a really long time,” he said.
“Labor do not think they can ever win this seat and the Liberals think they will never lose it.
“I’d be focusing on getting a bit tougher on drugs, setting up a rehabilitation facility and increasing mental health services in the region.
“There are far too many males committing suicide in this area because we do not have the services available.
“Our local hospitals keep on getting their funds cut by the State Government and the amount of people who get their medical assistance in Adelaide is going up and up.”
Mr Ey’s long standing association with the seat of MacKillop stems back more than 150 years, when his family moved to Millicent in the 1860s and purchased land in Coonawarra shortly after.
Born and raised in MacKillop, Mr Ey entered the IT industry and spent 20 years working in software in Adelaide and Perth before moving back to the region 12 years ago with his wife and four children.
Since his return, Mr Ey has involved himself in Penola’s sporting community through his membership of the tennis club and umpiring children’s football for the past decade.
The political hopeful said his knowledge of the electorate teamed with the retirement of veteran MP Mitch Williams would be beneficial in his tilt at parliament.
“People tend to vote for the incumbent, so I think not having one will work in my favour,” he said.
“I feel confident if I can get elected, MacKillop will have a lot more power in the parliament than Nick would have if he gets in and get a lot more done.
“I think I can make deep inroads and even if I do just make it marginal, it’s going to make a difference.”
With less than 100 days to the March 17 election, Mr Ey said he was busy working on a grassroots campaign to cover the 25,000km electorate.
“There are more than 20 towns in the electorate, so there’s going to be a lot of door knocking coming up,” he said.
“I’ll be disseminating information myself so it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but I’m going to put all my time into it.
“I’m very conscious this is a blue-ribbon seat and very much respect the fact this is a Liberal electorate.
“I’m not just going to stand as an independent candidate just for the sake of numbers, I’m going to have a real go at it.”
