THE POLL BLUDGER
Victorian Legislative Assembly Election 2006

BENAMBRA
Liberal 4.0%

Benambra covers north-eastern Victoria including Wodonga and 9,000 square kilometres of rural territory south of the Murray. It has been in conservative hands at all times since its creation in 1877, switching from the National Party to the Liberals when long-standing member Tom Mitchell retired in 1976. The next member was Lou Lieberman, who held the seat until 1992 and later served as the federal member for Indi from 1993 to 2001. Tony Plowman has held the seat comfortably since, despite suffering successive swings of 7.8 per cent and 3.5 per cent at the past two elections, and is now retiring after a fairly low-key career. The Nationals are hoping that Plowman's retirement will allow them to rescue one of their four upper house members, all but one of whom looks likely to lose their seat under the new multi-member district arrangements. Their candidate is North Eastern province member Bill Baxter, whose parliamentary career goes all the way back to 1973. Baxter is currently the Nationals' treasury spokesman, and served as Roads and Ports Minister in the first term of the Kennett government. The respective Liberal and Labor candidates are Bill Tilley (right), a Wodonga police officer, and Lisa Mahood (right), the mayor of Wodonga.

ASSESSMENT: Liberal retain