Politicians prepare for battle of Bentleigh 18 months out from election

THERE are more than 550 days until the next election, but battlelines have already been drawn in one of Victoria’s most marginal seats.

Nick “stick with” Staikos with volunteers Will Broadbent and Breanna Thomas at King George Reserve, Bentleigh East. Picture: Chris Eastman

THERE may still be 557 days until the next state election but battle lines have been drawn and campaign slogans written.

Bentleigh MP Nick Staikos has already bought merchandise and was sporting “stick with Staikos” hats and T-shirts last week.

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And the Liberals have said it’s game on for them too, with preselection already underway.

Liberal spokesman Simon Frost said applications for party members to nominate to contest the seat of Bentleigh closed on June 1.

Monash University senior politics lecturer Dr Nick Economou said it wasn’t unusual for an MP in such a highly contested seat to be preparing themselves such a long way out from the election.

“That’s what its like for people in ultra-marginal seats,” Dr Economou said.

“Frankly whoever wins Bentleigh is probably on their way to winning government.”

Dr Economou said it would be advisable and likely that the Liberal party would select a candidate for Bentleigh soon.

Mr Staikos said he was always campaigning for the Bentleigh electorate but it was exciting for the new merchandise to have arrived.

“Somebody suggested stick with Nick and then we decided on stick with Staikos … it’s a little more difficult to vandalise,” Mr Staikos said.

“One thing people tell me all the time is they want their local representatives to be visible and I think my team and me as the local member have been very visible for the last two and a half years.”

Mr Staikos said the $45 million dollars in funding for 10 local schools in the past three budgets was a highlight of his time as an MP, as were the level crossing removal works.

However, Mr Frost said crime had risen under Labor and the Liberals were ready to campaign on that and other issues.

He said Bentleigh was critical for the Liberals to gain power.

At the 2014 election Mr Staikos defeated Liberal MP Elizabeth Miller with 50.78 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, despite being down by more than 7 per cent behind on first preference voting.