THE POLL BLUDGER
Victorian Legislative Assembly Election 2006

GIPPSLAND SOUTH
Nationals 10.9%

Gippsland South includes Wilsons Promontory and the Corner Inlet along with further coastal territory for about 50 kilometres to the west (as far as Venus Bay) and more than 100 kilometres to the east (as far as Lake Victoria), and extends inland to Leongatha and Nyora in the west and Sale in the east. It has existed uninterrupted since 1859 and has never been held by Labor. Sir Herbert Hyland held the seat from 1929 until his death in 1970; it subsequently fell to Liberal candidate James Taylor, who was in turn defeated in 1973 and would later return as a member for the local upper house province. Neil McInnes then held the seat for the National/Country Party until 1980 when he defected to the Liberals; he was rewarded for his efforts with defeat at the 1982 election, and the seat has been in Nationals hands ever since. Peter Ryan (right) succeeded Tom Wallace as member in 1992, and succeeded Pat McNamara as party leader following the 1999 election defeat despite a lack of ministerial experience.

The electorate is home to the proposed Bald Hills wind farm site near Venus Bay, the subject of a national political controversy early this year when Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell vetoed the project over concerns endangered yellow-berried parrots could fly into its turbines. Campbell was widely ridiculed over the decision, not least by the Bracks government. He has since agreed to accept new submissions after the proponents, Wind Power, threatened legal action; an amended proposal was submitted last month with a view to removing the turbines from the parrots' migration path.

ASSESSMENT: Nationals retain