By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Incumbent State upper house MPs Inga Peulich and Nina Springle have lost their seats in official provisional results released more than three weeks after the State Election.
In figures released on 11 December, the ALP claimed a rare three seats in the South East Metro region.
Labor cabinet ministers Gavin Jennings and Adem Somyurek have been joined by physics professor Tien Dung Kieu.
The sole Liberal MP in the region is Gordon Rich-Phillips, who has stood down as opposition deputy upper house leader since the election.
Liberal Democrat candidate David Limbrick, whose party attracted less than 1 per cent of the vote, was the fifth successful candidate.
He narrowly won the battle of the micro-parties, pipping Transport Matters for the last seat.
Ms Peulich, the Opposition multicultural affairs spokesperson, has been in the Upper House for the past 12 years.
She also served in the Legislative Assembly from 1992-2002.
The Liberal Party, with just 29 per cent of primary votes, fell short of the two quotas that would have ensured her re-election.
Ms Springle was deputy leader for the Greens, which polled just over 5 per cent of the primary vote in the region.
With four colleagues also losing their seats, the Greens are left with just their leader Samantha Ratnam left in the Upper House.
Overall, Labor has won 18 seats – short of a majority in an increasingly eclectic 40-member Upper House.
To pass laws, it will rely on other parties including Liberals (10), Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party (3) and Liberal Democrats (2).
With a representative from each of the Nationals, Greens, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, Animal Justice Party, Fiona Patten’s Reason Party, Sustainable Australia and Transport Matters.
