Labor has strengthened its grip on the Victorian political landscape with a landslide State Election win for the Daniel Andrews-led party at the weekend.
Locally it was Nationals incumbent, Tim Bull, who held on to the seat of Gippsland East, however across the state there was love for Labor, particularly in marginal metropolitan seats.
The victory wasn’t unexpected, however the magnitude in which Labor romped to victory may have surprised.
Needing the magical number of 45 seats for a majority, shortly after 8.30pm with little more than 29 per cent of the total votes counted, Labor had but sealed 48 seats.
Labor went into the election with the bare majority of 45 seats, however yesterday was predicted to hold 61 seats heading into its second term a favourable swing of around six per cent.
In celebrating his party’s dominant victory, Labor leader, Mr Andrews, said Victorians had “overwhelmingly endorsed a positive and optimistic plan for our state”.
Following the Federal Government’s leadership spill and subsequent changing of the guard with Scott Morrison taking over from Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister, the Liberal Party’s popularity waned. It told in ‘sandbelt’ seats of Bentleigh, Carrum, Mordialloc and Frankston, which all changed hands to Labor.
The Andrews Labor Government’s victory means commercial net fishing in the Gippsland Lakes will come to an end with a compulsory licence buyout to be implemented through to 2022, a $1.5 million redevelopment of Bullock Island and $1.4 million to develop a master plan and complete immediate necessary works at Bairnsdale Secondary College, among other blanket commitments that will be made across the state.
