Lisa Thorpe withdrew her candidacy in the by-election due to personal circumstances.
A proud descendant of the Gunnai, Gunditjmara, Tjapwurrung, Boonwurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung and Wemba Wemba people, Ms Thorpe said the change in circumstances meant she would no longer have enough time to effectively fulfil the role of an Assembly member if elected.
Ms Thorpe said she first put her hand up to represent the community in the North East as she believed in true self-determination and wanted to advocate for people living on and off Country.
“It’s important that the Treaty process is led by Traditional Owners, the sovereign peoples, and not dictated by government,” she said.
“We need the right people representing Country, I give my best wishes to those still running in the election.”
Three candidates for the North East region remain: Travis Morgan, Madison Connors and Nicole Atkinson.
First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria head of engagement and communications Amy Rust has been visiting voting locations across the North East region, including Shepparton and soon on to Wangaratta.
“Partnering with Aboriginal organisations across the area has been great, we’ve had many new enrolments just from foot traffic alone,” she said.
“We’ve had pretty good numbers across the board, but we’re still really encouraging people to get involved.”
Ms Rust said online voting had been met with some hesitancy, but emphasised it was a safe and legitimate way of participating in the election.
The voting commencement coincided with the recent Treaty Day Out festival, the first event of its kind hosted by the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, which saw a star-studded line-up of First Nations artists.
The assembly had a strong presence on the day. Ms Rust said the festival encouraged 600 new enrolments.
“People enrolled not just in the North East but across the board, 600 is certainly the biggest growth in enrolment since the beginning,” she said.
Voting is open until 11pm on March 27. In-person voting locations are open on weekdays. For locations, visit https://www.firstpeoplesvic.org/news/voting-locations-north-east-by-election/
For more information on the by-election, visit https://www.firstpeoplesvic.org/your-region-members-events/north-east/north-east-by-election/
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