THE furthest things from James Trenery’s mind on the campaign trail are the topics being discussed on the national stage and he has no hint of concern about a party-based candidate taking the seat of Indi from independent Helen Haines’.

Mr Trenery spoke with The Euroa Gazette on Saturday on his third campaign trip to Binney Street.

He said criticism over the Liberals’ plans for gas and media-reports of about-faces on issues such as working from home and how 41,000 public servants will be shed from government departments, has little bearing on what the people of Indi want to talk about.

“I am on the streets every day, and not one single person has asked me about it,” Mr Trenery said.

“No one has come up to me and asked: ‘who’s working from home and who’s not?”

“A lot of people talk about campaigns from a political point of view, but around regional areas people don’t care about it, they (ask) ‘what are the results, what are you going to do?’”

Mr Trenery said there was one thing on everyone’s mind.

“When I was doorknocking, everyone was talking about their electricity bill.

“They were saying ‘bring the electricity bills down’.

“It’s really hurting these families.”

On renewable energy, Mr Trenery agrees with his party and said that a combination of gas, renewables, and nuclear energy was the way forward.

He said he had not seen ‘even one’ energy plan where renewables reached the 2050 target of zero emissions.

“They are not going to get us there – they are not – it has to be a mix of the whole lot,” he said.

“If we get there, (then) we get there, so how that looks if that’s the main aim won't matter as much, as long as we are looking from the point of view of a lower cost.

“And the supply needs to be secure.”

Mr Trenery said he was ‘well connected’ in his community and has a strong CV which includes his role as Mayor of Indigo Shire.

He said any notion of his party telling him how to vote was overshadowed by the critical role of regional MPs inside the party room.

“Parties…form government – it’s as simple as that – so being in that room, making those decisions is very important and more regional people in those governments is absolutely essential."