By Laura Michell
Yan Yean MP Danielle Green has been re-elected with a significant increase in first preference votes.
The seat, which takes in Mernda, Doreen, Whittlesea township and parts of Nillumbik, was marginal prior to the election.
But on Monday morning, with two-thirds of the vote counted, Ms Green had increased her hold on the seat, winning 55 per cent of first-preference votes.
Her two-party preferred vote rose 13 per cent from 54 per cent in 2014 to 67 per cent.
The Liberal Party was without a candidate in Yan Yean this election, after Meralyn Klein was asked to resign from the party 10 days before the election.
Ms Klein contested the election as an independent but was named as the Liberal Party’s candidate on the ballot papers because her resignation came after the close of nominations.
In a message to her supporters on Facebook, Ms Green said it was an “honour and privilege” to continue serving the electorate.
“To the people of the Yan Yean electorate, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “And thank you for your continued trust in Labor. You have spoken and we won’t let you down.”
Fellow outer northern suburbs MPs Lily D’Ambrosio (Mill Park), Frank McGuire (Broadmeadows) and Ros Spence (Yuroke) were also re-elected following increases in their two-party preferred votes.
Frank McGuire was re-elected in Broadmeadows with a strong first preference vote (supplied).
Thomastown MP Bronwyn Halfpenny was re-elected despite a slight drop in her two-party preferred votes.
With 69 per cent of votes counted, Ms Halfpenny has won 78 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, down from 78.5 per cent in 2014.
Counting will continue today
