By Marcus Uhe
With the election on Saturday and early voters casting their ballots in extraordinary numbers, candidates and volunteers are working harder than ever to win the tick of approval from their constituents at polling booths.
More than 186,000 voters participated in democracy on Tuesday 22 November, a new personal best for the 2022 campaign, eclipsing the previous best of 166,225 set the day before.
Tensions have threatened to boil over in Hampton Park, with Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas accosted by one voter over the controversial plan for the Hampton Park tip on Monday 21 November.
Mr Maas chose not to engage with the woman and repeatedly asked her to move on.
The chair of the Integrity and Oversight Committee has chosen not to speak publicly on the matter on a number of occasions, with this voter accusing him of supporting the proposal to turn the tip site into a transfer station, a plan in which local residents have repeatedly voiced their frustrations over.
Casey Police attended the Somerville Road polling both as part of a routine patrol on Wednesday 16 November following reports of a small protest group in the area.
No offences were detected and no further action was required as police observed a man demonstrating “peacefully”, police said.
Liberal candidate Annette Samuel chose not to speak to the media on Monday, choosing to focus instead on speaking to potential constituents.
As the blustery winds knocked over advertising A-frames outside the Cranbourne Scout Hall on Monday morning, Freedom Party of Victoria candidate Gerardine Hansen was hoping they would act as winds of change and sweep through Parliament.
“I think Pauline (Richards) has been a good representative for Cranbourne but it’s the Labor Party machine she represents that’s the issue,” Ms Hansen said.
“One mum came through and said ‘I am never voting Labor. I cannot vote Labor again and I’ve always voted Labor.’”
Ms Richards, who is concluding her first term as sitting MP, played a straight bat when asked about her confidence ahead of Saturday’s vote count.
“I feel that there is a democratic process and that people have the option to make a decision,” Ms Richards said.
“That’s not confidence, nor disheartened, it’s just part of the process in how the community gets to have their say.”
She delighted in re-engaging with locals she had spoken to during her many doorknocking afternoons.
“It’s (doorknocking) something I see really important in my role to find out what are the things that people need and what’s important and what I can do.”
In Narre Warren, Liberal candidate for the vacated seat of Narre Warren North, Timothy Dragan, was absent from the voting booth when Star News visited at 10.30am on Monday, following a dramatic weekend where he was heard expressing controversial opinions on First Nations people, climate change and abortions in leaked audio provided to The Age newspaper.
The Liberal Party issued a statement on behalf of Mr Dragan, who said he “apologise[s] unreservedly for my insensitive and inappropriate language”.
The Liberal Party in all three seats have chosen to preference Labor candidates last, while Labor has placed each of their blue opponents mid-ballot, anchoring Freedom Party of Victoria opponents to the bottom of their preferences list.
“Some of the parties with more extreme views, we think it’s important that they go last,” Ms Richards said.
“That’s been a really important philosophical decision that’s been made.”
On being placed last, she said it was “not that surprising”.
Labor remain overwhelming favourites with the bookmaker TAB to win all three seats of Cranbourne, Narre Warren South, and Narre Warren North, along with the election in its totality, as of Wednesday morning, 23 November.
Cranbourne Liberal Party candidate Jagdeep Singh is the shortest-priced Coalition representative to claim a seat ($5), while Mr Dragan and Ms Samuel are paying $8 and $8.50, respectively.
