As part of the campaign for Nicholls, model-putrid's team have come up with a lofty and doomed to fail plan of knocking on one out of every 10 doors in Nicholls. model-putrid herself has been given the unenviable task of doorknocking some homes in the town of Buchan, a town in remote East Gippsland. After a drive that was too long, model-putrid arrived in Buchan and started speaking with some locals. Below are excerpts of the 3 most productive conversations.

"Hi, my name's model-putrid, I'm running as an independent to represent Buchan in Parliament. Could I have a quick chat with you?"

Oh, sure! I voted for you the last election, I think. Weren't you with the SDP?

"Yes, I was until recently. I left because of their stance on nuclear issues. They were trying to legalise nuclear energy, and that's something that I just can't support given how risky the issues of waste storage and a reactor meltdown, like in Chernobyl and Fukushima, are."

I didn't hear about that.

"Look, I do still have a lot of respect for people in the SDP, but that was just a deal breaker for me."

Could you tell me a bit about your policies?

"Sure! The main thing that I'm running on this election is being a voice for the communities in regional Victoria. So, yeah, obviously, I do care about issues like nuclear energy, those matter, but in that type of big-picture thinking, our communities are falling between the cracks. We need an MP who's actually going to fight for our communities and the local infrastructure we need. Here in Buchan, a big draw for tourists is the caves, but it's just so difficult to get here any way other way than a car. Even if we could just get a coach service up here, that'd be much better."

Yeah, the road to Bruthen can get pretty crowded. I was trying to drive there after the rodeo a few months ago - bumper to bumper!

"I've still got to drive back down that road once I'm done with this all, so wish me luck!"

The homeowner laughs. model-putrid hands her a leaflet and moves on to the next house.

"Good morning! I'm model-putrid, and I'm running as an independent to be your local MP. Could I have a minute to speak to you?"

Oh yeah I know you. Bloody socialist leftie. Why don't you go back to Melbourne?

"Mate, I wouldn't live in Melbourne to save my bloody life."

Didn't you run to be Melbourne's bloody MP?

"It was a joke campaign! Trust me, I'm not going to Melbourne if I can avoid it."

Why would I trust you?

"Why would I lie to you?"

That's all you politicians do, isn't it. Bloody lie. So you can keep your fucking cushy salaries in Canberra. You're all the same.

"Look, even if you disagree with me, I like to think I have some principles. Just a few days ago, I was down in Sale, marching in a protest against nuclear energy. On Tuesday, I was in Leongatha talking about the rails. I'm not going to promise that I can stop nuclear energy from being legalised, and I'm not gonna promise that I can singlehandedly put trains back in South Gippsland, because I'm one woman, but I am going to try my hardest. After all, if all these politicians are corrupt, why don't you vote for someone who's never been an MP?"

Heh, well, look. I'm not gonna say yes, but I do respect that you had the balls to come up here.

model-putrid smiles, and wishes the homeowner a good day. She doesn't give him a leaflet, and moves on to the next house.

"Hello! I'm model-putrid, I'm running to be your local MP. Would you like to have a quick chat?"

Of course! You know, I've been thinking about the election. Feels like yesterday we just voted. What are you going to do for Buchan, though? I mean, if you made it all the way up here, I'd hope you have some idea.

"Thanks for asking! I actually am interested in working on a few local projects. As we repair damage from the bushfires, I'd like to see an upgrade delivered for Buchan town, by improving the streetscape to make it more attractive for visitors. Let's make it accessible for those with disabilities, put in some lighting, maybe even put in some information on local history? I'm happy that the state government gave money to upgrade the hall and rec reserve, but it wasn't too much. I'd like to see some upgrades take place of the cemetery, seal the pathways there. One other thing as well, is that I'd actually like to build a new standalone facility in Buchan to preserve our local history. I've heard of the possibility of using the Uniting Church, but if we custom-build a local history museum, then we can make sure that it fits the needs of the Buchan community."

I don't think I've heard of that museum idea before. That's a really interesting idea.

"Obviously I'd want to consult with the Buchan community before going ahead, since I'm not from Buchan, but yeah, if I go to Canberra, these are the sorts of policies that I want to get done."

The homeowner nods. It doesn't seem like anyone in Canberra actually cares about these kind of stuff, honestly. Always banging on about tax cuts or pride month instead of actually doing stuff that matters.

"Yeah, you know, I like those things as much as anyone else, but we need space in Canberra for our communities, not just for the big-picture issues. That's why I want to be your MP."

The homeowner says that they'll consider voting for her, and model-putrid smiles and gives them a leaflet.