By CASEY NEILL
The battle for Bruce is shaping up as Greater Dandenong’s tightest federal election contest.
It’s among three seats where the municipality’s residents will cast their votes on 2 July.
Big swings would be required to oust the Australian Labor Party (ALP) incumbents in Isaacs and Hotham – 3.9 per cent and 7.3 per cent respectively.
But in Bruce the margin sits at just 1.8 per cent, meaning the seat would change hands if roughly one in 100 people changed their minds from the 2013 poll.
Making things even more interesting, Labor’s sitting member Alan Griffin is retiring and his Liberal opponent from the 2013 election Emanuele Cicchiello isn’t recontesting.
So the electorate will have two new faces to choose from – Julian Hill for the ALP and Helen Kroger for the Liberal Party.
Bruce includes Dandenong North, Noble Park North and parts of Dandenong, Noble Park and Springvale.
Mr Griffin has held the seat since 1996 but it was previously in Liberal hands since 1972 and he experienced a 5.9 per cent swing against him after preferences at the last election.
Mr Hill grew up in Melbourne’s south-east and lived as a single parent for many years.
He was elected to Port Phillip Council at age 25, worked for the outgoing Mr Griffin for five years and has held senior positions within the Victorian Public Service.
Ms Kroger was a Victorian senator between 2007 and 2014 and has experience in philanthropic and community organisations, small business, human resources and education.
Isaacs MP Mr Dreyfus experienced a 6.5 per cent swing against him after preferences at the 2013 election.
His opponent, the Liberal Party’s Garry Spencer, will again contest the seat, alongside Greens candidate Alex Breskin.
Isaacs has been in ALP hands since 1996 and includes Dandenong South, Keysborough and parts of Noble Park.
Mr Dreyfus was previously a barrister and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1999.
Mr Spencer served in the Australian Defence Force as a combat soldier and military technology specialist for more than 20 years, and now works as a management consultant in his own practice.
Mr Breskin works as a software engineer for a small business and is the secretary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Australia.
Clare O’Neil kept Hotham in ALP hands following party stalwart Simon Crean’s retirement at the last election, but there was a 6.7 per cent swing to the Liberal Party after preferences were distributed.
This time Ms O’Neil will take on Liberal candidate George Hua and The Greens’ James Bennett.
The seat has been in ALP hands since 1980 and includes Springvale South and parts of Keysborough, Noble Park and Springvale.
At the age of 23 Ms O’Neil became the youngest female mayor in Australian history, just a year after being elected to represent Springvale South on the City of Greater Dandenong Council.
Mr Hua arrived in Australia in 2007 from Shanghai to study computer science at Monash University and is now a senior software engineer.
Mr Bennett was an education access worker in the university sector, is passionate about supporting young people with disabilities and has a strong faith.
The Journal will profile each candidate in more depth during the campaign. What questions do you want answered? Email casey.neill@starnewsgroup.com.au.
