AMANDA Mead, former Liberal Democrats candidate for the Federal Election earlier this year, is throwing her hat in the ring again for the November State Election as an independent candidate for the Legislative Assembly seat of Lowan.

Ms Mead lives on a small farm south of Dunkeld with her husband, owns a small business, and said she stands for the people of the local community and believes in the principles of values, community and honesty.

“I strongly believe in taking responsibility for my own actions,” she said.

“I am not afraid of being held accountable and admitting when I have made a mistake.

“Politicians should be held accountable for their decisions.”

As a business, farm and home owner, Ms Mead said she has experienced firsthand how neglected the area is by the State Government and local representation.

“The Andrews Government appears to believe that Western Victoria ends at Ballarat and our current representation (the Nationals) have done nothing to stand up to this city centric government,” she said.

“Instead, the Nationals have been pushing their agrarian socialist agenda and ignoring many local issues.

“It’s time that we have real representation that puts the needs of Lowan and its people first.”

Ms Mead said she believes that politicians have forgotten they are meant to represent the community and that society has become divided, passive aggressive and too reliant on the government for everything.

“I truly care about the environment and believe in sustainability,” she said.

“We need to be practical and rational when making decisions on climate, not trying to appease the loudest voice in the room.

“By going back to the core principles of values, community and honesty, we can begin to correct the path that Australia is on.”

Ms Mead said her priorities if elected would be:

● Redistribution of state funding. Ensure that towns outside Frankston, Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong get their fair share.

●  Let kids be kids. Allow parents/guardians to opt in or out of sex education as well as allowing parents/guardians to view the curriculum.

● Cutting excessive taxes. With 42 new or increased taxes over the past four years it’s time to reign in the government’s spending. Particularly on metro infrastructure.

● Cutting the Crap. Re-evaluating and removing overbearing regulations.

●  Air Ambulance. A new HEMS chopper to be based out of Horsham.

●  Firearms. Ensure protections for existing licensed firearms holders as well as more use of suppressors for OH&S.

●  Cut politicians’ wages. Cut by at least 20 per cent and freeze any future increases until Victoria is out of deficit.

 “I hope to be a genuine and honest voice for our rural communities,” she said.

“This is my home and I love regional Victoria.”

In addition to her priorities list, Ms Mead said her candidacy would be about giving people back their right to make a choice.

“In recent times, the government has been dictating our every move and denying our choice to make an informed decision,” she said.

“From school curriculum, to over legislation and regulations, we have lost our rights – it’s time we took them back.”

She said she also wants to see an end to gender quotas for industries.

“Quotas only lower a standard and will end up devaluing a job, industry and person,” she said.

Ms Mead said Australia needs to respect the past generations, upon whose hard work Australia was built.

“They sacrificed so that we don’t have to,” she said.

“We need to protect important dates like Anzac Day and Australia Day (and) start to build a sense of patriotism back into society instead of being ashamed to be an Aussie.”

She also said that Australian society needs to focus more on helping one another.

“If you see or hear of someone’s need, reach out and lend a hand,” she said.

“Our community starts with us, not the government, and we can take our communities back.”