Published: 22 May 2019
Well, nobody saw that coming. The Liar from The Shire is back in office for another three long years — but at least we know he’s not welcome down here in Victoria.
Bucking the national trend, there was a swing of almost 2 per cent towards Labor in Victoria. And three CFMEU-backed candidates did particularly well.
In the northern suburbs, voters in Cooper gave Ged Kearney a massive thumbs up. Ged was the president of the ACTU for most of this decade, and won her seat in a by-election last year. This time around, she thumped the Greens with a swing of around 14 per cent. The biggest swing towards Labor in the country, from a seat which was considered ultra-marginal this time last year.
In the Frankston area, Peta Murphy appears to have won back Dunkley. It’s a seat that Labor hasn’t held since Paul Keating was prime minister, and she did it with a swing of around 3 per cent in the first preferences.
And in Geelong and to the west, Libby Coker looks set to be the new member for Corangamite. The seat was the most marginal in the state, but a swing of around 2 per cent means the Liberals’ Sarah Henderson is likely now looking for other work.
We didn’t get a prime minister from Victoria, but the state held its own in this election. And the CFMEU is proud of the part we played to make that happen.
Congratulations and well done to all who participated! The fight continues.