By Dan Moss: State Parliament Editor
MARTIN Pakula will stand for the safe Labor seat of Lyndhurst to bring him into the Victorian lower house.
A new upper house MP is expected to be chosen in six weeks. Western metropolitan MLC Mr Pakula is the opposition scrutiny of government spokesman, and shadow attorney-general.
The Lyndhurst by-election will be held on April 27. Labor’s Tim Holding held the south-eastern seat incorporating Dandenong South, Hampton Park and Springvale with a 14 per cent margin before stepping down in February.
Labor state secretary Noah Carroll confirmed Mr Pakula was the endorsed candidate.
Mr Pakula was the presumed candidate given a wide expectation he would be a better fit in the lower house. If elected he will open a seat in the upper house which will be filled by appointment from the Labor party.
Today (March 18) opposition roads spokesman Luke Donnellan said the party would choose from a field of between five and 10 candidates for the vacated upper house seat after the by-election.
“It’s a horse race with a lot of horses running,” he said. “It’s one of the safest seats in Victoria.”
On Twitter, Mr Pakula’s upper house colleagues wished him well.
Liberal Northern Metropolitan MLC Craig Ondarchie said: “I’ll miss our regular banter. Best wishes for your next move.”
Mr Pakula was elected in 2006, is part of the small National Union of Workers faction and has served in high profile ministries of industrial relations, trade and public transport before the Liberal Party won government in 2010.
The Greens announced last week that Nina Springle is their endorsed candidate. She will push public transport issues.
Ms Springle took 6.13 per cent of the Lyndhurst vote in 2010. She has also run for Dandenong City Council in the Paperbark ward, taking 4.53 per cent, or 738 votes.
Nominations for party candidates closes at noon on March 27 and for independents at noon on March 28.
The Liberals have flagged they are unlikely to run a candidate.
dmoss@mmpgroup.com.au
