At the Robinvale Community Arts Centre, model-putrid is sitting around a circle of local residents to speak. No lengthy intro here because there's no gimmick or anything that needs explaining. Just a regular 'ol speech.

"Good afternoon, everyone! Now, I'd like to start this off with a fact that's quite banal, but really it's illustrative of the issues people here in Robinvale face and what I want to address as your local MP. According to the 2016 census, Robinvale has 3,313 residents. But the thing is, this is obviously wrong. A council study estimated that the population here in Robinvale was at least double this. Surely Robinvale's population didn't double in 5 years? No. There are people in this town who aren't being counted.

Why? They're transient workers. According to the census - which, mind, was highly inaccurate, so consider this a lowball number - 5.9% of our population is Tongan, and 4.4% are Vietnamese. A lot of these people were likely attracted to Robinvale because of seasonal jobs, such as with the fruit picking and the energy industries. That's not surprising, given the wider Swan Hill area has the most almond farms in the Southern Hemisphere, and after the nearby Sunraysia region, we have the highest Australian concentration of stone fruit, pistachios, and grapes.

But the issue of undercounting in the census isn't just an accounting error. It has a human cost. If the government offices thinks that there are less people here, then they're going to give us less services, and Robinvale is less likely to get the services it needs. This disproportionately effects those seasonal workers, as seen through something that I frankly find tragic.

Seasonal workers are being cramped into unsafe and overcrowded houses. Often, these are nothing more than sheds and caravans. It's like shoving dozens of people into units. And given how hot temperatures can get up here in the summer - it's not like any of these places have air conditioning - the heat can become unbearable. These structures are not safe and they're not legal. It is modern slavery. But we simply don't have the resources or the political willpower to give these workers what they deserve.

Seasonal workers bring so much to Robinvale, and I am so thankful for all the work that workers who come from overseas do. They leave their countries, their homes, and their families, so they can hope to achieve the Australian dream. But we're letting them down. We are inviting them to serve as the backbone of our regional economies, and charging them hundreds of dollars a month to stay in these squalid conditions that, frankly, no-one should be expected to live in, especially not the courageous Tongan, Vietnamese and other seasonal workers who keep Robinvale and the Australian economy running.

We need a solution to this housing crisis. Seasonal workers are a vital part of our economy, and we should embrace them as they embrace us. They deserve to not be treated like animals. We need to start cracking down on these illegal homes, and building more homes for these seasonal workers to make sure that they have a place to live with dignity, as we all deserve. That's what I want to work on delivering.

We cannot just ignore the truth of the situation here in Robinvale because it is inconvenient. No-one should have to live like some of the seasonal workers here do. We need a government, and an MP, who will act, and if you give me your vote, I promise that I will work hard both in Parliament and in the community to act."