This is Libby Coker’s second attempt to take the seat, having nearly succeeded in snatching Corangamite at the last federal election.

Ms Coker is a long-term resident in the shire, serving her third term with the Surf Coast Shire Council. In total she has represented as a local councillor for more than a decade and has been mayor twice. This position has given her a high profile, but only in the southern parts of what is a large electorate encompassing several local councils.

She considers an education from kindergarten through to University to be of great importance, and believes TAFE provides many opportunities. Ms Coker ’s interest in education is driven by her experiences as a former teacher and journalist. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (University of New England), a Diploma of Education (Monash), and a Bachelor of Letters (Deakin).

Her other interest is environment, having lived on the Surf Coast for over 30 years, the mother-of-two also says climate change needs to be better addressed, and feels the Liberals are not tackling the issue.

As part of a prospective Labor government, she says she would work to build a renewable future for Corangamite, as well as boost the funding for local public schools by an extra $15 million.

By Victoria Raptis, Celine Farah and Brooke Varney.

Image source: https://www.facebook.com/libbyforcorangamite/