Victorian State Election 2010: Monbulk
Electorate: Monbulk
Margin: Labor 6.7%
Upper house region: Eastern Victoria
Federal: Casey/La Trobe
Click here for Victorian Electoral Commission map
The candidates
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COYNE, Elizabeth
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Electorate analysis: Monbulk is located in Melbourne’s eastern outskirts, including Belgrave, Olinda and Silvan as well as Monbulk itself. Won by the Liberals on its creation in 1967, it changed hands with Labor’s election victory in 1982 and in the 1992 landslide that brought Jeff Kennett to power, when it recorded a 10.1 per cent Liberal swing. Liberal member Steve McArthur retained the seat in the face of the 1999 election defeat but was swept away by a 10.6 per cent swing in 2002.
The successful Labor candidate was James Merlino, a Yarra Ranges councillor and official with the Right faction Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association. Merlino was promoted to Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs Minister after the 2006 election, and enjoyed a substantial further promotion to Police and Corrections Minister in early October after Bob Cameron announced he would bow out at the election. The Liberal candidate is Matt Mills, who sells himself as “general manager for Australia’s widest gardening club”.
Analysis written by William Bowe. Read William’s blog, The Poll Bludger.