Residents of East Gippsland will have their say for the future of the region in tomorrow’s Victorian State Election.
There are 46 polling booths to allow for ease of voting, which open at 8am and close at 6pm.
While a record number of people have taken advantage of early polling and cast their vote in the past couple of weeks at a Bairnsdale polling station specificially established for those who wanted to vote before tomorrow, East Gippsland’s election manager, Sandra Wood, anticipates between 28,000 to 30,000 will cast their vote tomorrow.
More than 45,000 people are registered to vote in East Gippsland, but Ms Wood says many have taken advantage of early voting as there’s no requirement to offer a reason for doing so.
“In the first week alone, I think we had about 5000 people voting early, and I expect a lot more this week,” Ms Wood told the Advertiser on Monday.
The Victorian Electoral Commission has reported early voting is widespread across the state.
Gippsland East has seven candidates contesting the election – Sonia Buckley (Liberal Democrats), Matt Stephenson (Independent), Deb Foskey (Greens), Mark Reeves (Labor), Tim Bull (Nationals), Benjamin Garrett (Independent) and George Neophytou (Independent).
Ms Buckley is the first name on the ballot paper. The Liberal Democratic Party candidate made it clear at last Wednesday’s ‘Meet the Candidates’ evening she “won’t fail” given the opportunity to lead.
Ms Buckley says “it’s time for change”, targeting a smaller government, lower taxes and less bureaucracy.
Independent, Matt Stephenson, who drew the number two spot on the ballot paper, has been hard at work voicing his concerns for the proposed mineral sands mine project, stopping foreign buyouts and creating affordable rates.
Mr Stephenson last week said the four pillars of his campaign are “protecting our assets, driving innovation and action, valuing our people and communities and servicing our changing needs”.
Third on the ballot, Deb Foskey, running for the Greens, has targeted health, education and transport during her campaign. She says “The National Party takes East Gippsland for granted”, and that it’s about time her party had “good rural representation”.
Running for the Labor Party – which is currently in government – Mark Reeves, who drew the fourth position on the ballot, has championed his party’s commitment to improved emergency services, particularly in the health sector, and improved train services, while also stating education in schools and revitalizing TAFE is a high priority.
Just this week his party announced $1.4 million for Bairnsdale Secondary College to develop a master plan and also complete urgent upgrade works.
Bairnsdale Secondary College upgrades have been at the top of incumbent, Tim Bull’s wishlist. The Nationals member, who is fifth on the ballot, has had the advantage of holding the electorate’s seat to announce significant financial commitments, including for roads, trains and the disability sector, however it is the $15 million for the secondary college that he says is “our biggest need in this region by far”.
Sixth on the ballot, Independent candidate, Ben Garrett, has been largely unsighted on the campaign trail. His “No Bull” campaign has been based around preserving Australian traditions, a united culture and ensuring local jobs for local people.
Fellow independent, George Neophytou, claimed the seventh and final place on the ballot paper.
Mr Neophytou has said he will fight for longer lasting benefits to drought-affected farmers, would provide funding for marketing the region, sealing rail trails, hospital services, roads and bridges, new trains and rail works and justice for firefighters.
History suggests that the Gippsland East electorate is a safe Liberal/Nationals seat and currently sitting member, Tim Bull, is holding a 17.9 per cent margin.
Across the state, the Labor Party has 56 per cent of the two party preferred vote, according to Newspoll, while it sits almost four per cent clear of the Coalition on primary votes.
The Coalition needs to win eight seats to earn a majority.
For those who haven’t voted, polling booths open from 8am and will remain active until 6pm.
Results are expected later in the evening.
