Final race for votes

A week after pre-poll voting opened, candidates from the two major parties in Monash are feeling confident.

Final votes will not be cast until Saturday’s election day but many of the 111,000 people on the Monash electoral roll will cast their vote early.

Considered a safe seat with almost a seven per cent swing required to unseat sitting member Russell Broadbent, Monash has attracted little fanfare - other than the visit by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

With no election promises, no major announcements and no pork barrelling, candidates have gone back to grassroots campaigning to ensure voters know who they are.

Mr Broadbent, whose current term began in 2004 (as Member for McMillan), holds the seat with a 6.9 per cent majority.

The Monash ballot paper will be: Mat Morgan of Leongatha (Greens); Russell Broadbent of Pakenham (Liberal); Deb Leonard of Cape Woolamai (Independent); Allan Hicken of Traralgon (Pauline Hanson’s One Nation); David Welsh of Sunderland Bay (Australian Federation Party); Jessica O’Donnell of Drouin (Australian Labor Party); Megan Edwards of Fish Creek (Liberal Democrats); and, Christine McShane (United Australia Party).

Mr Broadbent and Ms O’Donnell went headto-head in the 2019 federal election where Mr Broadbent attracted 46 per cent of the primary vote, a decrease of 3.5 per cent. Ms O’Donnell increased the ALP’s vote in Monash by 1.75 per cent, attracting 29.6 per cent of the vote.

Mr Broadbent said party staff and volunteers at pre-poll booths were reporting a positive response.

“I am getting a good reception wherever I go - but people are polite. We’ve been working on this campaign for three years not three months or three weeks.

Mr Broadbent said he hadn’t seen any official polling and every electorate was different - “it’s not the same everywhere, it’s all swings and roundabouts.”

As he seeks his seventh consecutive term for Monash, Mr Broadbent said he had never taken his comfortable hold on the seat for granted.

After receiving 40 per cent of One Nation’s preferences three years ago, Ms O’Donnell is hopeful One Nation’s choice to preference her over Mr Broadbent will boost the ALP’s position.

But overall, she said the attitude in Monash was very different to 2019.

“It’s more positive. People are ready for change, it’s the one thing I am hearing all the time. There are a lot of people not happy,” she said.

Ms O’Donnell said the call for change was split 50:50 - “some people mention Russell, some people mention Scott Morrison.”

She said she was feeling more confident, particularly if Morgan polls prove correct that suggest Victoria could see an eight per cent swing - enough to end the Liberal hold on Monash.

Ms O’Donnell said Labor had stepped off the pork barrelling bandwagon - “people see through that.”

“They aren’t looking for a sugar hit at election time, they want a local member that will work hard for them all the time,” she said.

Also reporting the calls for change is independent candidate Deb Leonard who said it was what she had heard most at polling booths over the past week.

Ms Leonard said she’d had a really positive response and people genuinely wanted change.

At polling booths in the past week she said people regularly told her “we support you or it’s nice to have someone representing the community not the party.”

But, Ms Leonard is not convinced the calls for change will be converted to votes. “We are a very conservative electorate and I’m not sure they are ready for change.”

“If I can at least get some attention to our electorate and shakes things up a bit I’ll be happy. There are more options than the two parties and we saw what that means in places like Indi,” she said.

Ms Leonard has been the focus of section 44 ineligibility claims because her father was born in New Zealand. When the claims first surfaced two weeks ago, Ms Leonard told The Gazette she did not hold dual citizenship and she had checked her eligibility.

She said she did not think anyone was make a deliberate bid to undermine her campaign.

“A few signs are going missing so I’m obviously ruffling feathers,” she said.

Preferences will play a significant role in Saturday’s result for Monash.

In 2019, The Greens attracted seven per cent of the vote and Mr Morgan is confident he can increase that to 12 per cent this time round. He also has guaranteed Greens preferences meant “a vote for The Greens will never go to the Liberals.”

Last election results showed One Nation received 7.6 per cent of the primary vote in Monash. Mr Hicken has set only one target to beat that vote - “I want to win, I want change.”