The State Election is yet to be announced, but Reason candidate Robin Bristow has already called in the big guns to kick-start his political campaign. The well-known activist, Mr Bristow has long been in the local media pushing for council to support same-sex marriage and a clothing optional beach in Noosa.
Mr Bristow will now take his fight for “reason” to the state arena, announcing he will run in the election that will see him contest the seat of Noosa. To help his fight for the job of Noosa state representative, Mr Bristow has called in a top political marketing team, Bill Roberts and Camilla Cooke from Sydney’s Catalyst MDC.
Many may not recognise Ms Cooke, but most will know her work in the successful Kevin 07 digital campaign of 2007. Ms Cooke is a digital marketing expert and has worked for a range of high-end clients including Vodaphone, Nokia and Sony, plus the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation for which she won an Australian Effie Award for her work.
Mr Roberts set up one of the UK’s first digital marketing campaigns in 1995 and has since worked on a range of clients including IBM and General Motors. Ms Cooke and Mr Roberts both worked on successful campaigns for the Australian Sex Party and were in Noosa earlier this month to start filming for Mr Bristow’s digital campaign.
Ms Cooke said she was excited to be involved in the Reason campaign and looked forward to taking the “hot air” out of the political dialogue.
“The political narrative of today is painfully the same as decades ago,” she said. “We are prepared to look at things differently. It’s time for a party to disrupt the way things are.”
The Reason party is not just a rebranded Australian Sex Party. It’s a new party made up of smaller groups offering a range of updated policy principles including a focus on non-religious education, a strong stance against the deregulation of universities, enhanced access to GPs, the right to die with dignity and sensible drug law reform.
Mr Bristow has long campaigned for equal rights throughout Noosa and said the time was right to enter the political arena and demand Noosa was “taken seriously and not for granted”.
“I saw the political arena was filled with zealots and hacks. (Former prime minister) Tony Abbott and (former state premier) Campbell Newman made up my mind,” he said.
“What I like about Reason is that is seeks creative solutions to complex problems. Solutions that have been held back for far too long by squabbling major parties.”
Mr Bristow said what attracted him most to the Reason party is the non-partisan, non-ideological ethos of the party.
“It seeks evidence-based solutions and will support a good idea wherever it comes from. Reasonable voices are not being listened to. I am supporting Reason, which intends to liberate people from the two-party stalemate and sinister right-wing alternatives so that all Australians can flourish.”
Mr Roberts said the Reason party’s success will lie in a push for protest votes from voters who are tired of or frustrated with the two major parties.
“We want voters to commit an act of ‘reason’,” he said. “Every vote for Reason is a protect vote against the two major parties. Reason is a party of doers. We know so many voters are tired with their inner-squabbling and lack of action.”
Mr Bristow said he is excited to have such an experienced team behind him as he launches his first political campaign.
“I know with Cam and Bill driving the digital campaign, I will be able to target the disengaged and forward-looking voters who are tired of lazy politicians taking Noosa for granted. It’s time to vote with Reason,” he said.
