VIC:Candidates tight-lipped in Vic

AAP General News (Australia)
08-21-2010
VIC:Candidates tight-lipped in Vic

By Michelle Draper and Edwina Scott

MELBOURNE, Aug 21 AAP - Victorians have queued at schools and halls around the state
to cast their vote in the 2010 federal election, as candidates in marginal seats remained
tight-lipped about their chances of success.

The man most likely to give the Greens their first lower house seat in a general election
said the outcome in the marginal seat of Melbourne would "go down absolutely to the wire".

Casting his vote at Debney's Park Secondary College in Flemington, industrial barrister
Adam Bandt was hoping his grassroots campaign would secure a historic victory.

He is being backed by polls and punters alike to wrench Melbourne from Labor, which
has held the seat since 1904.

"We've run a real grassroots campaign," he told reporters.

Labor holds Melbourne by nine per cent but the Greens' primary vote has moved from
about 15 per cent to 23 per cent in the past two elections.

The surprise departure of Lindsay Tanner has left former industrial organiser Cath
Bowtell as the Labor contender to retain the seat.

Ms Bowtell cast her vote at North Melbourne Primary School, flanked by an army of bright
red T-shirted volunteers.

She said a large immigrant population, including many vulnerable people living in the
seat, demanded strong representation.

"They're the people voters expect Labor to govern for," she told reporters.

In Corangamite, which takes in Geelong and Victoria's surf coast, ALP incumbent Darren
Cheeseman planned to cast his vote later Saturday afternoon at Torquay.

He said the response from voters in the seat he holds by a 0.9 per cent margin was "fantastic".

"It's always going to be close," Mr Cheeseman told AAP.

His main opponent, Liberal candidate Sarah Henderson, refused to answer questions saying
she would not be speaking to the media before 6pm.

In Victoria's most marginal seat, Liberal candidate Cameron Caine cast his vote at
Kinglake West Primary School and spent Saturday morning visiting communities including
the semi-rural hamlets and leafy suburban pockets in Melbourne's northeast, before heading
west to Kilmore and Gisborne.

The seat, held by the Liberals by 0.02 per cent, was the electorate hardest hit by
the devastating bushfires in February 7, 2009, where 29 towns lost life and property.

Mr Caine, who has replaced longtime sitting member Fran Bailey as the Liberal candidate
for McEwen, said responses were mixed across the polls.

"Voters are being quite polite actually," Mr Caine told AAP.

He said it was "hard to tell" which way voter sentiment was swinging in some booths
but pre-polls from Mill Park had been "positive".

Further east in the seat of Deakin, held by Labor by a 1.4 per cent margin, incumbent
Mike Symon expressed confidence in the way he had run his campaign.

"Everyone's eyes are on you and any slip-ups are being watched," he said.

Australian Electoral Commission spokeswoman Clare Lapworth said fine weather had prevailed
in Victoria, with a healthy voter turnout at the polling booths.

"We have had a really good day, it's been quite upbeat," she said.

"Certainly lots of people have turned out to cast their vote and AEC staff have worked
very hard to accommodate everyone."

AAP md/pmu/mn

KEYWORD: POLL10 VOTE VIC

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