He argued ''someone has to keep the bastards honest''. Former Australian Test Cricketer Nathan Bracken is running as an independent for the seat of Dobell. Credit:Marco Del Grande Mr Singleton said while Mr Bracken and Cr McKinna were unlikely to win the seats, they would wield influence in preference negotiations ahead of the September 7 elections. ''But we will have succeeded if the major parties understand that your votes, and our candidates’ preferences, will go to them only if they can demonstrate a real commitment to the future of the Central Coast,'' he said. ''I stand to gain no more and no less from my actions than any other resident of the central coast, which I believe has more, or as many, natural assets than anywhere in Australia.''

Dobell, on the NSW Central Coast, is held by former Labor MP Craig Thomson, who resigned from the party and will contest it as an independent. The contenders: Nathan Bracken and Lawrie McKinna. Mr Thomson holds Dobell with a margin of 5.1 per cent, but is expected to lose. Labor has selected pharmacist Emma McBride to contest Dobell. Mr Bracken said he had never imagined he would pursue a career in politics after his cricketing career. Adman John Singleton is entering the political fray on the Central Coast by bankrolling two candidates. Credit:Peter Rae

''Straight out no. You always think about what comes after cricket. My wife is somebody who taught me that things are there for a reason and there are opportunities out there and she’s been amazingly supportive,'' he said. ''I guess it got to the point where I didn't want to be the person that sits in the cafe saying oh jeez I wish I'd done this, or this should change. I want to be somebody who gets out there and stands up and says hey let's try and change things, let's try and move things forward on the Central Coast for the better of the people who live here.'' Nathan Bracken, bowling for Australia in 2009. Credit:Getty Images Mr Bracken, who said he had proudly lived on the Central Coast for nearly 10 years, cited youth unemployment, high school drop-out rates, lack of a university on the Central Coast, homelessness, youth suicide, infrastructure and health as key issues. He said he was approached by Cr McKinna about a month and a half ago and discussed his thoughts with Mr Singleton. Mr Bracken declined to say if it would be a big-spending campaign.

Lawrie McKinna, director of football and former coach of Central Coast Mariners. Credit:Getty Image Mr Thomson said he would talk to all candidates, including Mr Bracken, about preferences. ''We welcome another candidate who’s clearly standing up because he doesn’t think the major parties are representing people properly on the Central Coast,'' Mr Thomson said. Mr Bracken said he had met Mr Thomson once ''and he's somebody who's worked very hard for the Central Coast''. Asked about a potential preference deal with Mr Thomson, Mr Bracken said Team Central Coast had made no decisions yet and it would depend on promises for the Central Coast.

He said he was ''not 100 per cent sure'' on his chances on winning the seat but it would depend on the strength of the local campaign. But he would not have put his hand up if he did not think he had a chance or would influence the result. Mr Singleton has dabbled in politics before, creating a party called the Workers’ Party in the 1970s, which later become the Progress Party. He also oversaw advertising for Labor during the Hawke/Keating era but criticised the Rudd government in 2010 over the mining tax. He said while the election would be focused on national issues, the central coast deserved candidates who would act on the region’s major challenges and opportunities. ''Our population lives in a depressing present and is faced with a limited future, only because of lack of leadership,'' he said. ''I am funding this campaign because I feel I should. I can afford it. It can do no harm. And it can only do good.''

Comment is also being sought from Cr McKinna. Mr Bracken, a former Australian pace bowler, announced his retirement in 2011 after a chronic knee injury. He is suing cricket’s governing body over the management of an injury in 2007. Mr Singleton said he knew Mr Bracken through his sporting career and through his father’s company, which was contracted to do works on his farm at full price. ''His reputation in Australia and internationally with his peers is impeccable,'' Mr Singleton said.

Cr McKinna is mayor of Gosford and was head coach of the Central Coast Mariners from 2005-2010 and in 2012 became director of football at the soccer club. Labor MP Deb O’Neill holds Robertson with a narrow 1 per cent margin. Preferences could be crucial to the outcome. with AAP



