"In 40 years living here, no one has door-knocked us": volunteers learn the art of the political door knock for independent campaign
It's nerve-wracking enough knocking on a stranger's door - let alone to then talk about politics.
But almost 30 local volunteers did just that last Sunday, knocking on over 200 doors as part of a training session for Monash independent candidate Deb Leonard in San Remo.
Many volunteers said knocking on doors and striking up conversations was surprisingly empowering - once the nerves were out of the way.
"It allowed me to really gauge what people want from their politicians," said volunteer John (from Meeniyan).
One San Remo resident expressed her surprise, saying no-one had doorknocked her house in 40 years.
Traditional campaigning techniques such as doorknocking are returning to the mainstream, after Victorian independent Cathy McGowan used doorknocking and kitchen table meetings in her successful election to the seat of Indi in 2013.
Since then, Teal independents and others have followed suit, looking for real ways to connect with people and their issues.
The doorknocking training was run by Rob Baillieu, the son of former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu. He was also the volunteer manager for Dr Monique Ryan's successful campaign for the seat of Kooyong at the 2022 Federal Election.
"Reaching out to communities with old-style strategies has become increasingly important," Baillieu said.
"It allows the candidate to hear firsthand from the community what issues are important to them so they can best represent them in parliament"
Deb Leonard is a professional working mother. She first ran for the seat of Monash in 2022, achieving a strong swing of 10.7 per cent.
Her campaign as an independent is based on cost of living, housing affordability, integrity, climate action, and getting a better deal for the often-overlooked region on roads, infrastructure and boosting energy independence with batteries and local renewables to avoid long-lasting and damaging blackouts which have hit the region hard.