Bulldogs football legend Doug Hawkins and former boxing champion Barry Michael, from Williamstown, are keen to have another crack at political life in Clive Palmer’s new party, with the pair ready to run in next year’s Victorian election.
On Thursday, Fairfax Media reported Mr Palmer wanted to run candidates in the Victorian election on November 29, 2014.
Mr Palmer, who grew up in Williamstown, said the platform would encourage more mines and power stations in the Latrobe Valley.
Mr Hawkins, who was the Palmer United Party’s No. 2 candidate in Victoria at last weekend’s federal election, said the experience of running for public office was enjoyable but challenging.
The champion footballer confirmed he was interested in running at next year’s state election. ”[The election] got me out of my comfort zone and it was a quick process with only three to four months and then it was on,” he said.
”I’d rather play in a grand final in front of 100,000 people at the MCG, but I probably would be interested in trying again. I haven’t spoken to Clive and will do that next week.”
Meanwhile, Mr Hawkins is back at work with Phoenix Traffic Management and believes PUP’s policies will resonate in Victoria.
He wished the best to Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party candidate Ricky Muir, who is poised to win a Senate spot in Victoria: ”Good luck to the young bloke; he has gone from being unemployed to a $195,000-a-year job.”
Mr Michael, who was No. 1 on the PUP ticket, said he still had a chance of winning Victoria’s sixth Senate spot.
”I’m hopeful. I’ve been written off before but I’m known for coming back in the last rounds,” he said.
Asked about his personal experience of running in an election, Mr Michael replied: ”I thought boxing was dirty. There is a lot of backstabbing and it appears a lot of rules are broken. It’s not as cut and dried as I expected.”
Like Mr Hawkins, Mr Michael is ”definitely interested” in running for State Parliament.
He said governments needed to act on the drug epidemic, particularly the proliferation of ice.
Mr Palmer said candidates for the state election would be determined by the Victorian branch of PUP because ”Victorians don’t want Queenslanders telling them how to suck eggs”.
