At Ms Sheppard’s campaign launch in Wodonga, concerns were raised by attendees about volunteer safety.
This week, with the attack on Indi MP, Helen Haines outside her electoral office in Wangaratta, Ms Sheppard said it was her duty to do everything she could to ensure public safety in her region.
“The very first question … was from a lovely woman who had volunteered her time on a polling booth during last year’s Federal election,” Ms Sheppard said.
“She spoke of the aggression she and other volunteers had experienced and begged me to make sure that there would be security on site this year.”
Though unable to make any personal promises to provide security, Ms Sheppard did assure concerned persons that she would push for security measures to be addressed with the VEC.
Ms Sheppard said the Victorian Electoral Commission had a definite duty of care not only to candidates, but to the public as a whole, to ensure that polling booths would be properly staffed with professional security.
“We would never have believed that this extreme level of violence would be witnessed here in the regions,” Ms Sheppard said.
“We are certainly not oblivious to the rising rates of crime and One Nation has very strong policy that addresses the restoration of public safety in our state.
“What happened this week to Dr Haines, though, was totally unexpected and has left our communities in a state of shock.
“We simply cannot be complacent anymore about public safety in the political setting.”
