One Nation runs candidate in lower house for Goulburn

His candidacy was announced among much hoo-ha on Wednesday afternoon at the Tattersalls hotel. 

One Nation star candidate and NSW leader of the party Mark Latham was in attendance, bringing with him a large media contingent. 

Mr Latham said he had learned a lot from his previous visit to Goulburn in November last year and that One Nation saw Goulburn as a crucial seat they could win. 

That’s why they are running two candidates here, in both the upper and lower houses, with Rod Roberts being the other contender. 

“With Richard running in the lower house, wouldn’t it be fantastic to have the two of them in the NSW Parliament fighting for this electorate that has been neglected by the outgoing member,” Mr Latham said.

“We can give Goulburn a much better deal.

“To put it in retail terms, One Nation is offering two for the price of one. I think it is a good opportunity for Goulburn to have better representation.”

Mr Orchard is known through his singing with the Rocky Hill Musical Theatre Company and his work as an SES district trainer. 

He reckons he is a good singer and will add to One Nation’s chorus.

“I sing every Sunday in the Anglican cathedral. I am pretty good,” he said.

To this Mr Latham added: “One Nation is very short on singing ability, so this is a welcome development.”

Mr Orchard said he was drawn into politics because he was fed up with the major parties.  

“I reckon we have a good shot here. I think the disaffection is so high with both the major parties,” he said. 

“We are a third force. We are ordinary Australians, we are not the elite.

“I have always been a politically engaged person, but the major parties don’t really care about grassroots politics.

“If a local person joins the Liberal Party and works hard, thinking they might be pre-selected one day – they won’t. They will just appoint someone. It has happened here and it happened over in Gilmore and Mr Morrison is going to lose government over that fiasco.” 

Mr Orchard used to work for the late Member for Hume Alby Schultz, which he said gave him “a good apprenticeship” in local politics.

“I had an apprenticeship from a good local member,” he said.

He has also more than 30 years’ experience working for government in corrections, as a clerk at the Goulburn jail, as well as in agriculture. 

“Then I joined SES as a district training officer. While there, I developed the skills of being able to build teams, listen to people and develop solutions,” he said. 

Mr Orchard said he joined One Nation after re-joining the local Liberal Party and then quitting over its pre-selection controversy. 

“Three of us re-joined the local Liberal Party on the same day and left on the same day. I realised my original decision to leave that party had been a good one. I lasted one month,” he said.

“Under Howard, the Liberal Party had 50,000 members, but the rank and file have deserted them.

“There are many disaffected Liberals who are not happy with what has been going on.” 

Mr Orchard says he knows a lot of people when he walks up the main street of Goulburn and they are pledging him support. 

“I am getting a lot of support because this is history-making. If we can take a safe Liberal seat and maybe hold the balance of power in a hung parliament, it could do very well for this area,” he said. 

“My priorities are what 85 per cent of people around here want: funding for hospitals, schools, roads and better train services, as well as better community transport for the outlying villages.”