A FORMER western suburbs cop and special forces soldier has broken with a lifetime of ALP support, flagging he may run as an independent candidate for Lalor.
Altona’s Nathan Mullins, 40, said he felt a “great dissatisfaction” at Labor’s ‘‘neglect’’ of Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Now a humanitarian aid worker in developing countries, Mr Mullins singled out soaring unemployment rates in places like Wyndham as proof the electorate was in need of change.
He suggested a federal focus on tax breaks and sustainable investment in local businesses as the best ways to reverse the jobs slide.
“In most of the world, development professionals tell us to invest in local businesses, encourage entrepreneurship and develop training schemes to ensure we’re preparing our youth for the workforce,’’ Mr Mullins said. “For some reason, we seem to be failing that back here.”
He hopes his platform of promoting core Labor values without being a prisoner to party politics will cut through.
