By Esther Lauaki
Labor has secured Melton and retained Buninyong and Kororoit after Saturday’s election.
Newcomer Stephen McGhie will replace retired Don Nardella in the Melton seat.
Mr McGhie, a former ambulance union head, was a last-minute nomination for Labor after endorsed candidate Justin Mammarella left the race in October.
By late Sunday, Mr McGhie had polled 54.04 per cent of the vote after preferences, while the Liberal Party’s Ryan Farrow received 45.96 per cent.
After first preference votes,
Mr McGhie led with 12,579 votes, ahead of Mr Farrow (6764), Independent Ian Birchall (4254), Independent Bob Turner (3664), Independent Jarrod Bingham (2474), Independent Sophie Ramsey (2094) the Greens’ Harkirat Singh (1564), Animal Justice Party’s Tania Milton (924), Democratic Labour Party’s Victor Bennett (920), Independent Daryl Lang (777), Independent Grant Stirling (380) and Victorian Socialists’ Ron Guy (232).
Mr McGhie described it as “a great result”.
“We had a little over three weeks to campaign, but we were confident. Although the Liberals were our biggest opponent, the candidates who supported a hospital for Melton also ran a very strong campaign and people gravitated towards them.
“Clearly, there’s a message in there that they want a hospital in Melton.”
Mr McGhie said that, while he was happy to have secured the seat, there was “a lot of work to be done”.
“I think that the priorities in Bacchus Marsh are different to what the priorities are in Melton,” he said. “Education, health and, especially, road congestion, are key issues in Bacchus Marsh. Sporting facilities, such as an aquatic centre and basketball courts and football ovals, are all issues.
“I come from a health background and worked in the Melton-Bacchus Marsh area as a paramedic … I’m an advocate for that idea of getting a public hospital built in Melton.
“The Labor government has put up $2.3 million to plan it and I think that is a positive move … I will be advocating for a hospital in this corridor, but not to the detriment of the Bacchus Marsh hospital which the Labor government has also put substantial funding into.”
The Melton electorate takes in Bacchus Marsh, Brookfield, Darley, Exford, Hopetoun Park, Long Forest, Melton, Melton South and Merrimu as well as parts of Eynesbury, Kurunjang, Maddingley, Melton West and Parwan.
Mr McGhie said that he was considering relocating from Buninyong to live in his electorate.
“I want to be accessible to residents and I hope to have a pop-up office in Bacchus Marsh at least once a week,” he said.
Buninyong voted in newcomer Michaela Settle to replace retired MP Geoff Howard and Kororoit’s Marlene Kairouz was re-elected.
