‘We’re connected communities’: Lisa Chesters MP on Rochy’s official move to Bendigo

It is the first time in the town’s history that it has been separated from the Campaspe Shire Council and Goulburn Valley region.

Since the Division of Echuca was proclaimed in 1900 ahead of the first federal election in 1901, later replaced by the Division of Murray before being renamed the Division of Nicholls, Rochester has been connected with locations like Echuca, Shepparton and Kyabram.

The Division of Bendigo covers the regional city, along with Heathcote, Castlemaine and Elmore.

For sitting Member of Parliament Lisa Chesters, while Rochester has never been in her jurisdiction, she has connected with the community being in close proximity down the road.

“It’s not foreign to me because it’s so close to Bendigo,” she said.

“There was a period during COVID when we would drive to Canberra and Rochy was our first stop.”

During the October 2022 floods, some of the immediate post-flood support came from the Division of Bendigo.

This includes the relocation of students from Rochester Primary School and Rochester Secondary College to Elmore Primary School and Bendigo Senior Secondary College, respectively.

“I went to visit them,” Ms Chesters said.

“They weren’t in the electorate, but they were at my local school. It was the right thing to do.

“When I was at Senior, the students said they thought they’d have to cancel their camp because they lost everything at the school.

“We linked them in with Fosterville Mine to make a donation and purchase new equipment.”

While Rochester residents were not necessarily Division of Bendigo constituents, they still received support from that community.

In particular, Ms Chesters highlighted the work of Sunshine Bendigo in gathering and supplying items for newborn babies and their parents following the floods.

“Even though it’s a different electorate, that’s a line on an AEC map,” she said.

“We’re connected communities, so we did what we could.

“Lots of businesses and lots of people in Bendigo helped Rochy out ... Sunshine Bendigo brought lots of stuff up here.

“It’s about helping each other out.”

Ms Chesters acknowledged the work still to be done in the area for recovery and flood mitigation.

The Division of Bendigo covers areas impacted by the October 2022 and January 2024 flood events like Elmore, Goornong and Heathcote. It also includes Lake Eppalock and much of the Campaspe River.

“Two years on, we’ve got a lot of work to do still around helping people get back in their homes,” Ms Chesters said.

“At a federal level, there’s an inquiry that is about to hand down its report into flood insurance. They held an inquiry here in Rochester, and they also held one in Heathcote to meet victims and hear what is going on in the flood insurance industry.

“There will be some recommendations that come out of it that are specific to what we experienced in central Victoria that will hopefully make things better for the future.

“I also appreciate that there’s probably a lot of fatigue for some people.”

Campaspe Shire Council will be split over two federal electorates for the first time in its history, now in Bendigo and Nicholls, represented by Sam Birrell from The Nationals.

Ms Chesters, who is Labor, believes it could be beneficial to have two MPs representing a local government area rather than one.

Despite their parties being on differing ends of the political spectrum, Ms Chesters feels their priorities would be very similar.

“It’s that opportunity for the shire to have more representatives, more conversations and more advocates for the area,” she said.

“I think, and Sam would probably tell you this too, but when you’re the local representative, you’re representing the region.

“So on a lot of issues, Sam and I are more on the same page than, say, a Labor person in Sydney. There’s more that Sam and I would have in common.

“Roads, infrastructure, telecommunications — there’s a lot that we have in common because of the nature of the electorates that we represent.”

Now that the final maps have been made and Ms Chesters will contest her seat with Rochester voters in mind, she is meeting local groups and hearing about their concerns.

Rochester residents are able to complete a community survey about their priorities at https://lisachesters.org/community-hub/bendigo-electorate-community-survey/

“The job is to listen, to learn and to represent,” Ms Chesters said.

“I’m really keen to support where I can and I’ll also be really honest.

“Issues that I’m really passionate about are making sure we’ve got good jobs, good industry, thriving local businesses, that we’re supporting and embracing connected communities and post-flood recovery that’s critical ... I’m incredibly passionate about healthcare.

“It’s making sure that Rochester gets its fair share.”