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THE POLL BLUDGER BUNDOORA
Bundoora is located 25 kilometres north-east of the Melbourne CBD and includes the suburbs of Watsonia and Macleod as well as Bundoora itself. It has been in Labor's hands since its creation in 1976, having been held by former Premier John Cain from its creation until his retirement in 1992 and by Sherryl Garbutt thereafter. After serving as Environment Minister in the Bracks government's first term and Community Services in its second, Garbutt announced her intention to retire in January. Garbutt's electorate officer Colin Brooks (left) had long expected to inherit the seat, and had quit his seat on Banyule council late in 2005 to concentrate on the preselection. His hopes appeared to be dashed a few days after Garbutt's retirement announcement, when Steve Bracks oversaw a factional deal guaranteeing that seats would be found for all ministers. Fulfilment of this required that the Right use its hold on the seat to accommodate a refugee from the cut in upper house numbers, and thus was its weight thrown behind Sports Minister Justin Madden. At first Brooks refused to abandon his claim, but he was prevailed upon to withdraw at the end of February. Natalie Birch of the Heidelberg Leader reported there was a "strong possibility" the party's national executive would have intervened on Madden's behalf even if Brooks's local support proved strong enough to overcome the numbers on the state party's Public Office Selection Committee. However, Brooks enjoyed a late reversal of fortune when Northcote MP Mary Delahunty announced her retirement on October 4, prompting Bracks to forge a new arrangement where Fiona Richardson was given the Northcote preselection, Madden took her place on top of the Western Metropolitan upper house ticket, and Brooks finally received the Bundoora nomination. The Liberal candidate is Kane Afford (right), who is studying media and communications at Melbourne University – evidently not as a mature aged student. ASSESSMENT: Labor retain | |