Why anyone who runs against Daniel Andrews will be paid $350 – but there are two conditions

Victorians who dislike their Premier Daniel Andrews are being offered $350 to run as a candidate in his electorate.

Melbourne-based art dealer Andrew King is hoping to attract 50 candidates willing to run in the safe Labor electorate of Mulgrave in the city’s south-east at the upcoming November 26 election.

His campaign intervention comes as a Newspoll shows Victoria’s Labor government potentially losing 10 seats and possibly its majority as Mr Andrews faces another anti-corruption investigation.  

Mr King, a co-curator of the KSR Gallery with his wife Sandra Powell, has set up a I’ve Had A Gutful website calling on potential candidates to nominate.

‘Stand up to Andrews. Stand against him,’ it said.

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Victorians who dislike their Premier Daniel Andrews are being offered $350 to run as a candidate in his electorate (he is pictured, right, with his wife Catherine campaigning in Melbourne)

Mr King is pledging to pay the $350 nomination fee for the first 50 people who nominate to stand as a candidate in Mr Andrews’ seat of Mulgrave, which Labor held in 2018 with a 12.7 per cent margin.

If he had that number of takers, that would leave him $17,500 out of pocket.

Before committing, however, would-be candidates must be enrolled in the Mulgrave electorate – stretching from Wheelers Hill to Noble Park. They must also be of good character.

‘I only have two conditions,’ Mr King said.

‘1. Priority will be given to voters registered in Mulgrave.

‘2. No d***heads.’

Mr King said he was willing to help candidates who didn’t live in Mulgrave provided they were enrolled there.

‘All Victorians – whether you live in Swan Hill, Sandringham or Shepparton – are eligible to stand up to Andrews by standing against him in Mulgrave,’ he said.

Those wanting to run as an independent candidate have until noon on November 11.

Art dealer Andrew King is pledging to pay the $350 nomination fee for the first 50 people who nominate to stand as a candidate in Mulgrave, which Labor held in 2018 with a 12.7 per cent margin (pictured, Labor supporters in Mulgrave celebrate on election night, 2018)

The deadline for registered political candidates is a day earlier at midday, November 10.

Electoral enrolments must be updated by November 8. 

A Newspoll published in The Weekend Australian on Saturday showed a 3.3 per cent swing against Labor as Mr Andrews seeks a third, consecutive four-year term in power.

This would see Labor lose 10 seats following redistributions.

The Newspoll had both Labor and the Coalition each with 37 per cent of the primary vote.

But after preferences, Labor led the Opposition 54 per cent to 46 per cent, with Greens voters expected to give their preferences to Labor over the Liberal Party. 

A Newspoll published in The Weekend Australian on Saturday showed a 3.3 per cent swing against Labor as Daniel Andrews seeks a third, consecutive four-year term in power. He is pictured (left) with Liberal leader Matthew Guy who is running again despite being defeated in 2018. They are with former ABC Melbourne radio host Jon Faine

With just three weeks until election day, it has been revealed the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission is investigating a $1.2million grant made to the Health Workers Union in October 2018.

The investigation is centred on Mr Andrews, who has previously been investigated for taxpayer-funded electorate office staff being used in 2014 for Labor campaign activities.

Mr Andrews on Saturday dismissed the latest report of an investigation into him, claiming he acted ‘appropriately at all times and in all things’.

‘Regardless of any smear, innuendo, or media reporting based on anonymous sources, the only IBAC matters I will comment on are those that are the subject of a final report – as is appropriate and has always been my position,’ he said.

‘I act appropriately at all times and in all things.

‘That is the oath I swore and I take it very seriously.’

Labor won 55 seats in Victoria’s 88-member Legislative Assembly at the November 2018 elections, compared with 27 for the Liberal and National parties.

The loss of 10 seats for the ALP would see it barely govern with majority.

More seat losses would force Labor into minority government and see it rely on the Greens or new possible independents to remain in power.