By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The Liberal Party has installed an eleventh-hour candidate in Bruce, just ahead of the declaration of federal election nominations on 24 April.
John MacIsaac, an engineer, will contest the seat held by the ALP’s Julian Hill.
Bruce was a marginal seat at the 2016 election, but is now notionally a Labor-safe seat due to a boundary re-distribution.
It no longer covers conservative suburbs such as Glen Waverley and Wheelers Hill but has added an ALP-friendly region of Doveton, Endeavour Hills, Hallam and Narre Warren.
Other Bruce candidates are Tim Boyanton of Fraser Anning’s Conservative National Pary, Mubahil Ahmed of the Clive Palmer-led United Australia Party and Rhonda Garad of The Greens.
In neighbouring seat Hotham, sitting Labor MP and opposition justice and consumer affairs spokesperson Clare O’Neil will face five rivals.
They are company director George Hua (Liberal), Jin Luan (United Australia Party), Jess Gonsalvez (The Greens), Peter Dorian (Rise Up Australia Party) and Dennis Bilic (Sustainable Australia).
Hotham, a traditional Labor stronghold, has become more marginal due to electoral boundary changes.
In Isaacs, opposition Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will be against architect Jeremy Hearn of the Liberal Party.
Other candidates are Kim Samiotis (The Greens), Ash Puvimonasinghe (Rise Up Australia Party), Bronwyn Currie (Animal Justice Party) and Tony Seals (United Australia Party).
The federal election is on 18 May.
