Walter Joins One Nation

In short:

Former Wyndham deputy mayor and OAM recipient Walter Villagonzalo will contest Tarneit for One Nation at Victoria’s November state election. The long-time community volunteer joins a growing field as One Nation seeks to challenge the major parties across Melbourne’s west.

Former Councillor Joins Election Frenzy

Former Wyndham councillor and deputy mayor Walter Villagonzalo has joined the orange wave and will contest Tarneit for One Nation at this November’s state election.

The 2015 Wyndham Citizen of the Year and long-time community volunteer will enter a hot contest against a field that includes Labor’s Dylan Wight, Liberal candidate Venkat Ram Upparlapalle, The Greens’ Rifai A. Raheem and Andrew Elsbury for The West Party.

His move marks one of the biggest recruitment wins yet for the emerging populist party, adding one of the area’s most decorated citizens to its push to disrupt the two major parties.

Having migrated to Australia from the Philippines in the 1980s, Mr Villagonzalo went on to found The Migrant Hub in 2009 before being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia last year for his service to the Wyndham community.

His political career includes a stint as a Wyndham councillor from 2016 to 2018, representing Chaffey Ward, and a year as deputy mayor between 2017 and 2018.

An Interesting Race Set Up In A Growing Region

The new candidacy may also put his environmental work under a fresh spotlight, particularly how his long-running advocacy for greater tree coverage in Melbourne’s west sits alongside One Nation’s forestry policies.

Villagonzalo joins a growing One Nation ticket in Melbourne’s west, alongside Fiona Lopez for the Upper House, Cameron Reid in Point Cook, Rufo Parades for Laverton and Paul Pateras in the ultra-marginal seat of Werribee.

The contest comes as Victoria’s traditional two-party divide faces growing pressure, with recent statewide polling placing Labor, the Coalition and One Nation all in the twenties on primary vote.

Freshwater polling published on 1 October puts the Coalition at 29 per cent, Labor at 24 and One Nation at 22, while Roy Morgan polling conducted from 5–7 August had the three at 26, 26 and 23.5 per cent respectively.

Consisting largely of Tarneit and neighbouring Hoppers Crossing, the electorate covers one of Australia’s most culturally diverse communities, adding another dimension to the contest as the parties compete for support across its rapidly changing population.