AUSTRALIA will go to the polls in 38 days and as usual the major two parties are dominating the media build-up but in Calare, things are a bit lop-sided.
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While Anthony Albanese has been busy selling the The Australian Labor Party's policy heading towards May 21, in Calare the party is yet to announce a candidate.
Whether that can be viewed as a concession the seat cannot be wrested away from its ingrained National Party persona is arguable, with CSU Professor of Political Science Dominic O'Sullivan saying there are plenty of factors behind Labor, and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers' Party for that matter, making a late start in Calare.
"This isn't uncommon, the Liberal Party only announced candidates for about a dozen seats for NSW last week including seats it holds, including Farrer, North Sydney and Mitchell," Prof O'Sullivan said.
"So it's not unusual. It would be more worrisome I think for a party in a seat that has a chance of winning. Some of those marginal seats that the liberal party thinks it might have a reasonable chance at in NSW where it didn't have candidates, [by comparison] I think there's a bigger story there.
"I really don't think there's much of a story in Labor and certainly the SFF not having candidates in Calare at this point.
"I think the Liberals not having a candidate in Hughes until last week is a far more interesting story and the one that points to a party that's got some real internal problems."
Prof O'Sullivan suggested the late start would have more to do with the ALP and SFF managing their brand.
"I would think Labor would almost certainly run a candidate [in Calare]. The Shooters and Fishers may do but it's a party that doesn't have a huge membership base, nor does Labor out in Calare either so it can be difficult to find [the right] people," Professor O'Sullivan said.
"Neither of those parties would expect their candidate to win so they wouldn't be putting a lot of money or a lot of resources into it."
But he said, the candidate must be credible.
"A poor candidate can do an awful lot of harm and reputational damage that can have an effect beyond Calare for example
"So they're pretty careful and they don't have huge pools of talent to chose from but I would imagine the Labor party would certainly be revealing a candidate in the next few days."
Calare covers a huge 32,666 square kilometres and at the 2016 census, had a population of 161,298.
It's been a National Party stronghold since won by John Cobb in 2007, while previously it was held by Independent, the late Peter Andren, from 1996-2007.
Mr O'Sullivan said he felt the seat would remain in incumbent member Andrew Gee's hands thanks to the profile and backing of a major party.
So far Independent Kate Hook, Greens Kay Nankervis, UAP's Adam Jannis and Stacey Whittaker, running for Pauline Hansen's One Nation party are nominated.
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