By Laura Michell
Some of the biggest swings towards the Liberal Party during Saturday’s state election were recorded in Melbourne’s outer north.
But despite an increasing increasing number of Hume and Whittlesea voters backing the Liberals, Labor will be re-elected in Broadmeadows, Mill Park, Yan Yean and Thomastown and will win the new seats of Greenvale and Kalkallo.
As of Monday morning, the Liberals had polled 26.95 per cent of first preference votes in Mill Park, 14.1 per cent more than in the 2018 state election, with 59 per cent of votes counted.
Despite the swing towards the Liberals, Labor’s Lily D’Ambrosio had secured 50 per cent of first preference votes and was leading Liberal candidate Paige Yap 60.84 per cent to 39.16 per cent in the two-party-preferred count.
The Victorian Electoral Commission had predicted Labor would win the new seat of Greenvale with a margin of 22 per cent, however there was a swing of 15.6 per cent towards the Liberals.
Labor candidate Iwan Walters had polled 41.72 per cent of first preference votes as of Monday morning, with 64 per cent of votes counted.
There were also double digit swings towards the Liberals in Yan Yean and Thomastown.
With 53 per cent of votes counted, the Liberals had polled 11.7 per cent more first preference votes than in the 2018, with candidate Richard Welch securing 35.5 per cent of votes.
However, Labor’s Lauren Kathage is likely to win the seat, which was left vacant by retiring MP Danielle Green.
In Thomastown, the Liberals recorded a 10.7 per cent increase in first preference votes compared to 2018, but incumbent MP Bronwyn Halfpenny will be re-elected after securing 52.62 per cent of votes.
In Broadmeadows, there was a 9 per cent swing to the Liberals but Labor’s Kathleen Matthews-Ward is on track to represent the seat vacated by Frank McGuire. Ms Matthews-Ward had polled 47 per cent of first preference votes, with 60 per cent of votes counted.
In Kalkallo, former Yuroke MP Ros Spence had secured 55 per cent of first preference votes with 65 per cent of votes counted. The electorate recorded a 3.9 per cent to the Liberals.
On Sunday, Premier Dan Andrews acknowledged the swing away from his party in parts of Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs.
“There is some work to do in those communities, and I will do that very important work,” he said.
Liberal leader Matthew Guy said the swing towards the Liberals had been “most profound” in the north and west and represented a “huge future electoral opportunity” for the party.
