THE POLL BLUDGER
Victorian Legislative Assembly Election 2006

ELTHAM
Labor 4.8%

Eltham is located in Melbourne's north-eastern suburbs, with the Yarra River as its southern boundary. It was a notionally Labor seat upon its creation at the 1992 election, but a massive 14.3 per cent swing gave Liberal candidate Wayne Phillips an easy victory. Phillips' margin was whittled away over the next two elections, and an 8.5 per cent swing in 2002 easily accounted for what remained of it. The Labor win was built on solid majorities in the built-up areas of Eltham and Montmorency, while the Liberals continued to carry the semi-rural booths of Lower Plenty in the south and Research in the east. Labor member Steve Herbert (left) had previously worked as a school teacher and staffer to Senator Kim Carr and Bracks government minister Lynne Kosky, placing him firmly in the Socialist Left camp. He won preselection for the 2002 election ahead of Sigmund Jorgensen, Nillumbik mayor and unsuccessful candidate for the seat in 1996. The Liberals have nominated Craig Ondarchie (right), who operates an "international consulting practice specialising in corporate governance and economic development".

In the second week of the campaign, the Diamond Valley Leader reported claims from Craig Ondarchie that his car had been vandalised, and that in a separate incident a threatening note had been placed on his windshield.

ASSESSMENT: LIBERAL GAIN