2 April 2022

Breaking the Records in Kooyong

It’s been a record-breaking week for Monique’s campaign! Last Saturday, Team Mon’s donors and walkers broke the all time record for the annual Hawthorn (Boroondara) Cancer Council fundraiser.

And this weekend, Team Mon is on track to make Australian political history with more than 200 volunteers out in the community, door knocking at residences across the electorate to find out about what matters to the people of Kooyong.

Undeterred by the cool rainy weather yesterday, we had hundreds of great conversations on people’s front porches. The number one topic was climate change, with many people also expressing dismay with the budget (more on that below).

We could not be more proud and appreciative of our hundreds of volunteers who answered the call to join us for a weekend of action.

Surrey Hills Saturday Squad 1

Mont Albert Saturday Squad 2

Camberwell Saturday Squad 3

More than half of yesterday’s door knockers were doing it for the first time. Training is provided on the day and we team you up with an experienced door knocker. It’s a great way to find out about what’s on people’s minds – to give voice to the people of Kooyong. And it’s a great way to share the news about Monique.

It’s not too late to join in the fun! Next weekend we are aiming to have 400 door knockers out on the streets, with the Sunday afternoon session culminating in Mon’s official campaign launch in Hawthorn.

This election could come down to 500 votes. With the school holidays and Easter looming, we don’t have much time left for door-knocking. Now is the time to take a stand for your values. If you’d like to join our weekend of action on 9/10 April, please sign up here.

And if you can’t volunteer but still want to help, making a donation will help to keep Monique’s campaign in high gear. If you’d like to make a donation, please sign up here.

Meanwhile Back at HQ

Campaign headquarters is bursting with energy, with our distribution team struggling to keep up with the demand for t-shirts, yard signs (corflutes!) and the ever popular hats.

And yesterday, we were delighted to welcome our new neighbours to Hawthorn, with Josh Frydenberg setting up another campaign office a few doors up on Glenferrie Rd.

We haven’t seen much of Josh in Kooyong lately so we’ve brought him to Mon’s HQ. Please drop by for a visit and you can check out his voting record on the things that you most care about.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6…. Lift Off!

Hungry for change? Good: it’s nearly launch time!

Join us for Monique’s official campaign launch at the Hawthorn Arts Centre on Sunday 10 April at 3.30pm and feast on the amazing energy of a community coming together to make a difference.

Following directly on from a big day of door-knocking, it’s going to be our last big, bright gathering together before election night.

And we are thrilled to announce our special guest, Cathy McGowan AO, former Independent Member for Indi and the ‘godmother’ of the community Independent movement.

Cathy’s amazing against-the-odds victory in the safe Liberal seat of Indi, held by Sophie Mirabella on a margin of 9 per cent in 2013, has inspired us to dare to dream in Kooyong.

Cathy will join us to share her wisdom and to raise a glass of Australian bubbly to officially launch Monique’s campaign of optimism and hope.

Due to capacity restrictions, bookings are essential. Tickets are going fast so please register for the launch as soon as possible to reserve your place.

Walking it in!

Being a frontrunner feels great. Especially when you walk it in! And, it’s for a truly fantastic cause.

Our donors raised a whopping $39,926 for Cancer Council Victoria: supporting Team Mon walkers in last weekend’s Relay for Life – earning us the ‘highest team fundraiser’ award for this year’s event.

A truly stunning effort! Huge thanks to all involved.

It was a perfect day to get out and enjoy great weather and true community spirit – honouring those whose lives have been affected by cancer, and raising money to help fund research.

While everyone was on the same side when it came to supporting an important cause, the day also drove home how a little healthy competition can really bring out the best in all of us.

It’s a lesson we plan to take to the next election. So look out, Josh! Team Mon’s on a roll.

Note from Mon

Dear all,

What a week! We started with a Budget which offered a poorly constructed raft of short-term promises and bonuses. This is clearly a government without a long-term plan for our economy, our health system, our aged care or education sectors. We have record low unemployment, thanks to our borders being closed for two years and the impact of an ageing population. We have record high commodity prices, thanks to the war in Ukraine. And yet, the Frydenberg Budget gave us the 2nd highest deficit we’ve ever seen in this country, at a time when our nation's debt is approaching 1 trillion dollars.

The Frydenberg Budget stripped funding out of our climate change authorities, public education, the arts, and law reform. It included $0 for a federal anti-corruption commission – a broken promise which the Morrison/Joyce government has no intention of keeping. The Budget also included $20 billion in sweeteners for the National Party – including dams and roads for which there is no justification and no business case. By contrast, Victoria received only 5.8% of infrastructure spending despite having 25% of the country's population.

Aged care? 1% more funding next year, with no increase in wages for people working in that sector – aged care workers are still getting paid less than young people working at fast food restaurants.

Mr Frydenberg’s budget has shown us what he holds important and what he values. Spoiler alert: it’s not the values of the people of Kooyong. We need to let him know what we hold important. We will use our voice and vote to tell him that in May.

We’re mobilising like we never have before, because we deserve better and we know that we can have it. I’ll see you all in the streets of Kooyong, at the shopping strips and the footy ovals, in small businesses and on front porches. And I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible next Sunday 10 April at our official campaign launch.

Let’s do this, Kooyong!

Mon

Real signs of change

Want proof that people really do read into (campaign) signs? Well, here it is.

Over the past couple of weeks, the media have looked up and seen evidence of our campaign’s impact plastered all over Kooyong: more than 1000 residents now sport Mon’s signs on homes or businesses – evidence of the groundswell of community support.

Reports suggest that Josh Frydenberg’s campaign is set to spend up to $2 million trying to keep Kooyong – splurging on targeted ads, multiple campaign offices, and big pricey billboards in our electorate – a seat which the Liberals have taken for granted for far too long.

This is great news for Mon supporters, and our campaign for change. The opposition is really starting to feel the heat in our climate.

We are climbing in the polls, the opposition is paying attention, and our message is getting out there on our own billboards and signs that our wonderful donors – you – have paid for. So you can be sure that at this election, the things you care for are truly writ large.

But we need to keep going if we want to outshine the competition.

Show your community who you’re backing this election – you can still sign up! Get a big ‘real estate-style’ sign for your fence or front yard or a more compact option with our classic ‘corflute’.

Yes! Sign me up – large (‘real estate’ size)

Yes! Sign me up – regular (‘corflute’ size)

What’s on, Mon?

Monique will be in conversation with Saul Griffith, inventor, scientist, visionary and author of The Big Switch: Australia’s electric future. This zoom event will commence at 7:30 pm on Thurday 7 April. To join us for this special event, register here.

Thursday? Must be Pizza Night

Okay, it’s cheesy. We know. But we like to thank you every week…with pizza and drinks. So join us Thursdays at 6:30 pm at your HQ (655 Glenferrie RD Hawthorn). It’s a great chance to kick back, get to know one another, and get an update from Mon about the campaign.