THE POLL BLUDGER
Victorian Legislative Assembly Election 2006

MILL PARK
Labor 26.8%

This electorate in Melbourne's outer northern suburbs has been held for Labor by double digit margins since its creation at the 1992 election, at which it replaced the similarly safe seat of St Albans. Alex Adrianopolous was succeeded upon his retirement at the 2002 election by his electorate officer, Lily D'Ambrosio (right), who had previously been an official for the Australian Services Union. Both are members of the Socialist Left faction.

In the first days of the campaign, the Coalition promised to come good on an unfulfilled Labor election promise from 1999 by extending the Epping rail line, which until 1959 extended a further 15 kilometres to Whittlesea. The proposal is to extend the line to South Morang at a cost of $12 million, although Labor claims this sum ignores the factor which has prevented the government from proceeding with the project: the resulting need for track duplication further down the line, which it claims would cost as much as $300 million. Local residents have received letters from Transport Minister Peter Batchelor apologising for the decision to delay the project.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain