Inside the three-horse, two-independent fight in Calare where preferences are everything

Like many community independents, Kate Hook had little desire to become an MP. The renewables advocate, who helped found “Voices of Calare”, says she only agreed to run in the last election after trying to tap others on the shoulder, but finding the role repeatedly “bouncing back” to her.

So when sitting MP Andrew Gee quit the Nationals in late 2022, following the party’s decision to oppose the Voice referendum, it seemed Hook was — ahem — off the hook. Gee clearly had some integrity, and Calare now had an independent representative, one with name recognition and plans to run again. 

“I thought, you know, the National MP is no longer a National MP, he’s now an independent, so does that mean job done?” Hook recalls. “If he’s on the crossbench already, then maybe that’s the way to get things done for Calare and maybe we can work with him and push him to do more as an independent.”

The local business owner and mum of four, who last time won 40% of the 2CP, told Gee she didn’t have to try again, saying many of her supporters would back him if he was willing to advocate on their issues. He was not. According to Hook, Gee ruled out running on climate action or renewables, saying he didn’t want to “get involved in culture wars”.

“It was pretty clear then that he wasn’t going to stand for those things,” says Hook. “I said to him, look, you know, good that we’re being honest, because you’re obviously going to run a very different campaign to me. So I still feel obliged to run.”

Calare is one of multiple three-horse, two-independent races this election, featuring an LNP-turned-crossbench MP, a “Voices of”-backed contender, and a Coalition candidate eager to win back the seat.

Calare, in central west NSW, is being fought over by Gee, Hook, and Nationals candidate Sam Farraway, with party leader David Littleproud making clear he wants the seat back “in our colony”. Similarly, Monash, to Melbourne’s east, has sitting Liberal-turned-independent MP Russell Broadbent, return “Voices of Monash” candidate Deb Leonard, and Liberal pick Mary Aldred; while north Perth’s Moore has ex-Lib Ian Goodenough, Climate 200-supported Nathan Barton, and new Liberal candidate Vince Connelly. 

In the latter two seats, the sitting MP went rogue after losing Liberal preselection; it remains to be seen what personal support they hold, with Broadbent one of Parliament’s longest serving members. All three races will likely come down to preferences, with no independent or major party likely to win in their own right.

It’s led to a messy dynamic in Calare. Gee has been viciously targeted by the Nats since he left: a party official was sanctioned in 2023 after sending him a menacing package, while his campaign has been the target of vandalism and theft, with police investigating two serious incidents. Hook and Farraway both say they’ve had corflutes vandalised too, though it’s clear someone has it out for Gee.

Gee was recently caught in a “well done Angus”-style Facebook gaffe, which was blamed on a staffer. The post on the MP’s page was about the Nats’ “dirty tactics”, but the comment left by “Andrew Gee MP” slammed both the Nationals and “the Teal mob”.

The sitting MP did not make time to speak to me for this piece — unfortunate, given the unique role he plays here. His Facebook bio calls him the “True Country Independent”, while his website lauds the “power of an independent” who can “put the needs and concerns of Calare front and centre”.

But if the ex-Nat represents the more traditional regional indie model — a la Rob Oakeshott — Hook represents the newer model — a la Cathy McGowan.

Hook, who gave up her Monday evening to speak with me, is like many of the community candidates I speak with: passionate, verbose, and a huge policy wonk. Her website lists both “policies and priorities” and “values”; she repeatedly expresses frustration at politicians’ refusal to listen to experts, and is the sort of person who often used to find herself in the MP’s office, sharing surveys and findings from her community group, Futuring Orange.

Hook says things have been “polite” at candidates forums, despite a hard fought campaign. But it’s clear Gee’s “true” framing annoys her.

“He likes to say ‘true independent’, because he’s wanted to paint me as just another, you know, Climate 200-backed independent, suggesting that somehow makes me not independent,” she says, noting her candidacy and policies were determined through local kitchen table conversations, unlike his. “I’ve said to him, look, it’s a crowdfunding platform, you know, think of GoFundMe, except the cause everyone believes in is a healthy democracy.”

Climate 200’s influence is being used against Hook, who openly eschews “teal” (Hook is running on pink, telling me they decided to lean in, and not shy away from the fact she is a woman). She’s frustrated by the insinuation the group’s convenor, Simon Holmes à Court, owns the community indies, noting how little he contributes overall. She’s especially galled by Gee buying into the “teal party” line, given he’s spent the past two years sitting on the crossbench with them.

Hook claims Gee is still acting and voting like a National, arguing those who wanted community representation are not satisfied with his offering.

“There’s definitely a mood for change,” she says. “People are saying there’s a Nat and a former Nat, so if you want change, then we need something completely different. We’ve had 17 years of ‘the men in hats’ … They haven’t done anything about housing and they haven’t done anything about the sorts of things that have caused the cost of living crisis.”

Enemies or reluctant allies, the “community independent” and “true independents” will rely on each others’ preferences if they are to have any hope of defeating the Nats in Calare (or the Libs in Monash and Moore). In that Facebook post, Gee denied his preferences have been set; in our call, Hook stays mum on where negotiations are at, pointing out that voters are always free to number the boxes as they see fit.

Regardless, this battle between the traditional regional indie and the “Voices of” candidate will continue all the way to election day, as each seeks to be the one to secure the upset, whether by holding or gaining the seat.

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