About Me.
I’ve lived in Lynbrook for more than 20 years, raised my family here and spent a significant part of that time heavily involved in the local community. My working life has taken me through Victoria Police, human services, local government, major charity events, community organisations and now small business. None of that was part of some grand plan to become a politician, but that is probably the point.
I have spent most of my life dealing with people, problems and communities in the real world. I’ve seen government from the inside, worked with communities from the outside and watched what happens when systems work well and when they clearly do not. These days I run Dr Hotdog at BP Lynbrook, dealing with many of the same pressures local families and small businesses are dealing with every day. Food prices, rent, utilities, suppliers, wages and trying to make every dollar work harder.
Somewhere along the way I also reached a fairly uncomfortable conclusion; that I don’t feel properly represented anymore.
I know I’m far from alone. I speak with people who have voted Labor for most of their lives, people who have always voted Liberal and others now looking elsewhere. Some are disappointed, some are frustrated and some are genuinely angry that the parties they have supported for years no longer seem to speak for them. I understand that because I feel it too.
Our recent battle over the Hallam Road Waste Transfer Station brought a lot of this into focus for me. Party MPs are part of a team and are generally expected to support their party’s position. I understand why parties work that way, but there will be times when what suits the party does not neatly line up with what is best for the community.
I want the freedom to ask a much simpler question: “What is the right thing to do for the people I represent?”
That is one of the main reasons I am running as an Independent. I also do not believe good ideas belong exclusively to the political left or right. When was the last time you heard one major party simply admit the other side had come up with a good idea? Labor can have a good idea. The Liberals can have a good idea. The Greens can have a good idea. One Nation can raise issues that make sense without that meaning I suddenly support everything else they stand for. I am interested in the idea, not the badge attached to it.
My proposition to you is that, as a member for Narre Warren South, I can interact with both large-scale, state-level issues and community-driven initiatives at once. Cost of living, crime and community safety, roads and public transport, planning, schools and hospitals, government spending, and accountability are all factors in whether communities like ours are getting a fair deal.
I am not asking lifelong Labor or Liberal voters to suddenly change who they are. I am asking them to consider voting differently this time.
All I need is one term.
I am not looking for a political career. I want one term to represent this community and reset an electorate that has been considered safe for far too long. I know it is a long shot.
What makes me believe this might be the election when it can work is what I am hearing from people. Traditional Labor voters are disappointed with what Labor has done to this electorate and the state. Traditional Liberal voters are questioning the Liberals and what appears to be infighting and factions. Others are looking towards minor parties because they want someone to listen to them.
People are not happy, and that creates an opportunity. Enough people may decide that, just this once, Narre Warren South matters more than the party they normally vote for. That is the opportunity I see in 2026. I do not need everyone to agree with me on everything. I need enough people prepared to say, “This time, I am voting for my community first.”
That is also why I’m aiming for your Number 1 preference. A Number 2 might tell me you like what I am doing. A Number 1 gives me a genuine chance to actually represent you.
I will not be making preference deals in exchange for political support. When the time comes, I will explain openly any preference recommendation I make and why. Every number on your ballot paper remains your decision. If we can elect an independent for four years and make every party understand that Narre Warren South is no longer a seat they can simply assume, the reset will have worked.
By the next election they will know they have to earn our vote. They will work bloody hard to do so, and our community can only benefit. That is what I mean when I say:
Putting our community first sometimes means voting differently.
Come and find me!
I am working my way through this election while continuing to run Dr Hotdog (from Tuesday to Sunday). That means you should not expect me to knock on every door in the electorate. I simply cannot run a business six days a week and pretend I can. The upside is that I am pretty easy to find.
Come in and meet me! Ask me a question. Disagree with me. Challenge an idea. Tell me what I have missed or just have a chat. I am happy to talk.
I actually like the fact that I will still be working, serving customers and having ordinary conversations with people throughout this campaign. That feels much more like me than turning up somewhere for a staged photo and disappearing again. We will see plenty of that before November.
My approach to politics is pretty simple. Look at the evidence. Listen to people. Support good ideas wherever they come from. Challenge poor decisions wherever they come from. Find practical solutions rather than simply complaining about problems. Most importantly, remember who the job is actually for.
No party room. No faction. No political career to protect.
Just one employer. You. All I need is one term.
At the end of it, you can decide whether I did the job.
Scott Watson, Independent
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