Lively Night At The Great Debate

Last night, University of Notre Dame’s Tannock Hall was filled to the point of overflowing with some 300 folk filling the University’s largest lecture theatre to hear from candidates for the State seat of Fremantle at the upcoming election on 8 March 2025.

The audience were welcomed by Notre Dame’s Executive Dean and Professor of Politics and International Relations, Professor Martin Drum (he of Fremantle Shipping News’ regular Friday morning podcast View from the Round House with Martin Drum).

Martin in turn introduced the Debate’s moderator, the irrepressible CEO of the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce, Chrissie Maus, who got the show off to an entertaining start replete with a range of whiz bang slides laying out the Debate’s rules of engagement and an impressive range of debate control devices!

Then Chrissie set about introducing the all female cast of ‘contestants’ – the four candidates who had accepted the invitation from the organisers to participate in the Debate.

While some of those who have nominated for the seat of Freo were absent, the three main candidates who had already launched their campaigns for Freo – (in the order their names will appear in the ballot paper) Felicity Townsend for the Greens, Kate Hulett as the Voices4Freo Community Candidate, and the sitting member Simone McGurk for the ALP – as well as Animal Justice Party’s Natashia Boland (who’s name will actually appear second on the ballot paper) soon took centre stage making their pitches to the audience.

Support groups in the audience volubly encouraged each of the first three candidates. Natashia, who explained she was a first time candidate and feeling a tad nervous, had the support of her partner, but was also politely received by the audience.

Each candidate was then quizzed by the moderator as to their policies and platforms before a range of audience questions was put to them, first by Chrissie via smart phone Slido questions, and then live from the floor via roving mics.

Questions ranged from fracking and the environment, to whether Labor has taken Freo for granted for too long, to the topics of what a minor party or an independent MP can realistically expect to achieve in a parliament dominated by major parties, to the lament of lone anti vaxxer.

It was a lively, informative and entertaining evening. While the audience was advised that a special panel of fact checkers – Professor Martin Drum, Michael Barker from Fremantle Shipping News and Dr Christian Mauri from Fremantle Network – would intervene if they spotted any over the top claims from the candidates, or the audience, and were empowered to issue yellow cards and red cards to any unruly audience members, the panel was hardly needed!

If you missed the Debate, or would like more of it, you might like to get along to the next Politics in the Pub event organised by Fremantle Network this coming Tuesday evening at The Local Hotel, South Fremantle.

Words by Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News. Photographs by Gayle O’Leary

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