FRANKSTON MP Paul Edbrooke has won another four years in office.
Edbrooke is projected to retain Frankston for Labor. He saw off a challenge from Liberal candidate Michael O’Reilly, a former mayor of Frankston, at last Saturday’s state election.
As of 28 November, Edbrooke leads O’Reilly on a two-party-preferred basis by a margin of 8.4 per cent. Frankston voters swung towards the Liberals by 1.8 per cent compared to 2018.
The incumbent Labor government will be re-elected with a comfortable majority in the lower house. In the wake of the result, Victorian Liberals leader Matthew Guy has resigned.
During the election campaign, Edbrooke’s major promises included $15 million for the Frankston Basketball Stadium redevelopment and the removal of every level crossing on the Frankston line by 2029. Edbrooke says he is “so proud” to have been re-elected.
“In the next four years I will be delivering true local representation at a state level and a bold, brave vision for where we live – the best place in the world,” he said. “Whether it be introducing state owned renewable energy to save on electricity bills, education improvements, free TAFE courses, or free kinder, our community will benefit.
“Locals will be employed in a pipeline of projects from the billion dollar hospital redevelopment, 500 free new carpark spaces, removing every level crossing on the Frankston line, building women’s clinics, a new tech school, or the new basketball stadium.”
Labor’s re-election may worry supporters of the proposed Frankston rail line extension. The Liberals promised to electrify the line to Baxter at a cost of $971 million, however Edbrooke did not pledge any funds towards the project. He told The Times last month that he was not willing to commit to a project which would “require the bulldozing of hundreds of homes, destruction of ten hectares of Green Wedge land, and the demolition of the 100-year-old Frankston Signal Box” (“Baxter rail extension could wipe out homes, historic sites” The Times 17/10/22).
The Greens enjoyed a strong performance in Frankston. Candidate Emily Green has received 12.2 per cent of first preference votes, a 4.5 per cent increase on the Greens’ 2018 performance.
Each other candidate in Frankston has so far received less than four per cent of the first preference vote. Independents Darren Bergwerf and Henry Kelsall failed to impact the final result, receiving 2.2 per cent and 0.9 per cent of first preference votes respectively.
In neighbouring electorates, the Liberals also struggled. Labor MP Sonya Kilkenny comfortably retained Carrum, and Strictly Ballroom star Paul Mercurio is just ahead in Hastings. The Liberals have held Hastings since 2006, but as of 28 November Labor leads by 0.7 per cent. Neale Burgess, the incumbent Hastings MP, did not re-contest the seat.
In Mornington, former Dunkley MP Chris Crewther is neck and neck with independent Kate Lardner. As of 28 November, Crewther leads Lardner by just 177 votes on the two-candidate-preferred count.