THE POLL BLUDGER
Victorian Legislative Assembly Election 2006

NORTHCOTE
Labor 7.9% versus Greens

An inner urban electorate located to the north-east of the city, from the Yarra River north to Thornbury, Northcote has been in Labor hands since its creation in 1927. Past members include John Cain Senior, who held the seat from its creation until his retirement in 1957; Frank Wilkes, who was Opposition Leader from 1977 until he was deposed by John Cain Junior in 1981; and Tony Sheahan, who served as Treasurer in the final year of the Kirner government and held the seat from 1982 until his mid-term retirement in 1998. The subsequent Labor preselection was won by Mary Delahunty, a celebrity candidate by virtue of her role as presenter of the Victorian edition of ABC TV's 7.30 Report. This was achieved with the support of the Right faction, which had steadily become ascendant in local branches as powerbrokers such as Theo Thephanous, Nazih Elasmar and Telmo Languiller defected from the Socialist Left; although Delahunty herself remained unaligned after entering parliament. After a variable career as a minister in portfolios including education and planning, Delahunty announced she would not contest the election on October 4, citing ill health following a stomach operation. It had previously been reported that she was under pressure to make way for ministers endangered by the reduction in upper house numbers from 44 to 40, particularly from the Labor Unity (Right) faction.

The initial expectation was that the vacancy would be contested by two Labor Unity rivals – Fiona Richardson (right), faction convenor and wife of party state secretary Stephen Newnham, and Kathy Jackson, state secretary of the Health Services Union. However, Steve Bracks intervened to enforce a deal whereby Richardson exchanged her existing position on top of the Western Metropolitan upper house ticket for the Northcote preselection, Justin Madden abandoned his claim to Bundoora to replace Richardson, and Colin Brooks was finally given the Bundoora nomination he had long coveted. Some in the local party expressed displeasure at the manner in which the arrangement was imposed on the local branches; they included former Darebin mayor Rae Perry, who vainly nominated against Richardson, and Ethnic Communities Council chairman Gaetano Greco, who had challenged Delahunty's preselection in March but was easily defeated. Some have suggested that Labor's ructions and the loss of Delahunty's personal vote might subdue the Labor vote enough to bring the Greens into the equation. Their candidate is social worker Alex Bhatal (left), who ran in the corresponding upper house province of Jika Jika in 2002 and federal seat of Batman in 2001 and 2004.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain