Mood:
a-okTopic: election Oz 2007
Picture: Adam Bandt "With his strong background in industrial law with Slater & Gordon"
This media release was lost indirectly due to our email host server selling up the business and us losing several of our subscriptions in the email address change. It does show an evolution in the ecological politics of the age:
Historic poll result as 'Green' Melbourne goes marginal
21-12-2007
For the first time, the Federal seat of Melbourne has become a marginal
seat, and the country's only Labor/Greens electorate, after the Greens
outpolled the Liberals to finish second.
Today the Australian Electoral Commission will declare the result in the
seat of Melbourne. On a two candidate preferred basis, the result is
Labor 54.7 per cent, Greens 45.3 per cent.
Labor MP Lindsay Tanner's primary vote fell below 50 per cent and he was
forced to rely on preferences from Australian Democrats voters to get
elected.
Australian Greens leader, Senator Bob Brown, said: "Here we have a
progressive electorate, a great candidate and a result full of promise
for the Greens. If we can persuade Adam Bandt to stand in 2010,
Melbourne may well fall to the Greens."
Greens candidate for Melbourne, industrial lawyer Adam Bandt, said: "I
campaigned on three main issues: using public funds for urgent action on
climate change instead of tax cuts, ripping up WorkChoices completely
and stopping the proposed tollway under and through Melbourne. As the
opposition in Melbourne, I will be holding Labor to account on these
issues right up to the next election."
"Melbourne is now the greenest place in the country. I thank the
residents of Melbourne for their support. By helping solidify the Greens
place as the third political force in Australia, Melbourne residents
have ensured they will no longer be taken for granted," he said.
The AEC classifies seats as 'safe', 'fairly safe' or 'marginal'
depending on the size of the successful candidate's margin. Since its
creation, Melbourne has always been considered a safe Labor seat.
The result sets a series of records:
* The Greens have come second in a seat for the first time in a general
election, and the seat has become the first Labor/Greens marginal in the
country;
* The Greens have recorded their highest ever primary vote (22.8 per
cent) in any Federal electorate in a general election, with a +3.8 per
cent swing to the Greens;
* In an election where there was a nationwide swing to Labor of between
+5 and 6%, Labor MP Lindsay Tanner suffered a swing against him of -2.3
per cent, and appears to be the only Labor frontbencher whose vote
declined at this election; and
* The Greens Senate vote in the electorate increased to 28.7 per cent,
the highest in any Federal electorate.
Adam Bandt will be present at the AEC when the Melbourne poll is
declared. Details: AEC, Casselden Place, 2 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, 11am,
Friday December 21 2007.
Figures in this release are unofficial: check all figures against
official AEC results.
