CROOKED Spire owner and Swan Chamber of Commerce president Mike Matich is running as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Midland.

Mr Matich said he decided to run for the seat of Midland because he was frustrated and could hear the community’s frustration as well.

“I’m really lucky that, you know, I’ve got this business right here in the middle of town and it is a really central point,” he said.

“I get to hear from lots of different people from all walks of life.

“I think the frustration is like, it’s like Midland’s been forgotten.

“It’s been a safe Labor seat for 28 years.

“In that time, I would often hear people who have been around talking about this nostalgic Midland and what it used to be like.”

Mr Matich said when the Swan Chamber was looking at putting on a motor racing event in Midland, someone brought in photos from the mid-90s Gull Speed Classic events held in Midland.

“It’s a great event – you could see cars and all the places set up but behind that I saw all these shops and I saw the life that was there.

“That really resonated with me and it made me understand what I’d heard for these last 10 years being in Midland.
“And I do feel like Midland has been forgotten.”

Mr Matich said people in Perth didn’t give Midland the respect it deserved but it was an area with great things already and potential on top.

“But these things that have come have not been because of government input,” he said.

“It’s because private enterprise or individual people and families have put these things here and has made it great.
“So, I really want to represent Midland and see Midland thrive and come alive again.”

Mr Matich said some of the key issues he had heard about were cost of living, the traffic situation in Midland, and impact to businesses.

“We’ve got a cost-of-living crisis,” he said.

“People are really struggling, we’ve got a large homeless population in Midland.

“We’ve got local issues, issues across the state, and we need proper solutions to these problems.”

Mr Matich said it wasn’t his first choice to run and he was never political but he wanted to make a difference for Midland because the community had approached him for representation.

“I actually think Midland is one of the best places in our state, and I’ve put my business here, and we’ve turned a derelict building into a thriving community, and I think that’s really important,” he said.

“I’ve never been a member of a political party up until a month ago – if you asked me a year ago, I probably would have laughed at you.

“I had enough advice as well not to do this, saying that, ‘in your role as the chamber president, you’re apolitical’, which I always have been.

“I’ve been able to meet with Rita Safiotti and Michelle Roberts over time and work with these people because at the end of the day, I want what’s best for Midland.

“So, we’ve worked really hard at the Swan Chamber of Commerce over the last number of years to be apolitical.

“I’m assuming the next question from you is, well, how do you think the Swan Chamber of Commerce is apolitical when you are running as the member for Midland for a particular political party?

“The great thing is we’ve got our treasurer, Michelle Maynard, running (for Labor) in Swan Hills.

“We’ve actually got two of our board members who are both running for parliament.

“So, I think that’s really exciting and it just really shows the diversity that we’ve got in the chamber.

“This is me having a go and being a part of the system and trying to get in and make a change for Midland.”