By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
BUSINESS as usual for state-election victor Labor, poised to clean-sweep the grab-bag of lower-house seats in the Greater Dandenong area.
The ALP’s Gabrielle Williams, who will replace retired Dandenong incumbent John Pandazopoulos, says jobs was the main factor for her maintaining a healthy margin, despite an energetic campaign from Liberal opponent Joanna Palastides.
“I was increasingly meeting people out of work for prolonged periods of time,” she said.
Ms Williams, as a first-time candidate, was relieved to have won the safe Labor seat but said “the work starts now”.
She said her party “would not waste a day” tackling the region’s high youth unemployment rates – about 21 per cent in Dandenong and nearly 20 per cent in Doveton – along with reversing the vast TAFE funding cuts.
“In some ways you’ve reached the top of the mountain; in some ways you feel like you’re staring up at it – there’s so much to do.”
Keysborough sitting MP and soon-to-be the state attorney-general Martin Pakula further entrenched himself with a five per cent swing in his already safe seat.
Interestingly, premier elect Daniel Andrews holds one of the more marginal seats in the area – increasing his marginal buffer in Mulgrave by just two per cent.
Jude Perera has for the second time staved off a close challenge for his Cranbourne seat from Casey mayor and ex-VFL footballer Geoff Ablett.
The ALP has also comfortably retained Clarinda, Narre Warren North and Narre Warren South.
The most marginal seat is Carrum, a seat that comprises the Lyndhurst toxic waste dump.
Sitting Liberal MP Donna Bauer was provisionally behind her ALP rival Sonya Kilkenny 48-52 on a two-party preferred count.
Greater Dandenong Council had lobbied ahead of the election for the toxic waste dump’s closure, but neither major party supported the stance.
The only party to back the closure was the Greens – whose candidate Henry Kelsall wore a slight swing against him.
There could also be a twist in the Little India issue. The ALP has pledged to support a bolstered Indian precinct, without guaranteeing it will be sited in the renowned Little India shopping-strip in Dandenong.
One of Little India’s self-described supporters and would-be Planning Minister Brian Tee is fighting to retain his Eastern Metropolitan region seat.
Ms Williams however said there was a “team” of MPs backing the Dandenong precinct “including Daniel (Andrews) who has been plugged into that issue for some time”.
In the upper house, the ALP’s sitting South Eastern Metropolitan member Lee Talarmis is in a three-way fight with Greens’ candidate Nina Springle and Rise Up Australia’s leader Daniel Nalliah.
Mr Nalliah, known for his strident anti-Islam views, polled just more than one per cent of the vote but seems to have profited from a strong micro-party preference flow.
Ms Springle, who appears ahead after 58 per cent of votes were counted, said “it’s too close to call at this stage”.
“We won’t know for a couple of weeks I’m told.
“There will probably be a recount, I suspect.”
On a provisional count, it appears the ALP’s Gavin Jennings and Adem Somyurek and the Liberals’ Gordon Rich-Phillips and Inga Peulich have retained their Legislative Council seats.
