Victorian State Election 2010: Clayton
Electorate: Clayton
Margin: Labor 20.3%
Upper house region: South-Eastern Metropolitan
Federal: Hotham/Chisholm/Bruce
Click here for Victorian Electoral Commission map
The candidates
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BOLLING, Peter
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Electorate analysis: Covering suburbs 20 kilometres south-east of central Melbourne, Clayton has been safe for Labor since its creation in 1985, the closest margin being 8.4 per cent in the 1992 landslide. The member since 1996 has been Hong Lim, who is of Chinese Cambodian origin and came to Australia in 1970 at the age of 20. Lim was a founder of the Cambodian Association of Victoria, which according to Michael Gordon of The Age was used by him as a means to recruiting migrants to the ALP. Lim reached parliamentary secretary level in opposition and during the Bracks government’s second term, but was demoted after the 2006 election. His organisational strength came to national attention in early 2006 when he threw his weight behind Martin Pakula’s preselection challenge against Simon Crean in Hotham. Lim was said to have controlled 90 Cambodian votes among the 330 preselectors in Hotham, though Pakula in fact received only 88 in total and was said to have been delivered no more than 30 from Lim. After his win, Crean warned Lim would “pay a price” for his efforts against him.
Analysis written by William Bowe. Read William’s blog, The Poll Bludger.