Preston voters turn away from Labor towards Greens in lead up to 2022 federal election
Cheaper house prices are luring young progressives to put down roots in Preston, increasing the Green vote in what has for many years been a safe Labor seat.
Leader
Don't miss out on the headlines from Leader . Followed categories will be added to My News.
The winds of change are blowing in a rusted on Labor polling place in Melbourne’s north as a new wave of young, progressive voters makes its presence felt.
Walk down High St, Preston any given weekday and you will be hard pressed to find many Labor loyalists among those shoppers and business owners willing to share their views on the upcoming federal election.
Instead what might strike you is the amount of newcomers to the area, snapping up its relatively cheap real estate, starting families, and apparently favouring the more left-leaning policies of the Greens over Labor’s traditional ‘working class’ values.
The shift may not show itself in the results of this year’s election, but some believe Preston’s Labor voters will age out of existence eventually.
Here’s how locals saw things when we asked around last week.
Management consultant David Raffa, who moved with his partner from Northcote into a Preston investment property a couple of years ago, said he liked Labor ideologically but believed they fell down at the 2019 election because of tax policies that “hurt the middle class too much”.
He doubted they would make the same “mistakes” again, but said he had not quite decided where his vote would go this time around.
“I really like [Labor’s] investment in social income, healthcare, and education,” he said.
“And I’m very unhappy with Scott Morrison’s government.
“I’m still pretty rusted-on Labor/Greens … but I didn’t mind Malcolm [Turnbull].”
81-year-old tailor Kostas Katakalidis, who emigrated to Australia from Greece in 1967, said he “always” voted Labor, but more out of habit than anything else.
“I don’t support one party — for me it’s all the same,” he said.
“If it’s Labor or Liberal or anyone else [in government], I still have to get up in the morning and go to work.”
Mr Katakalidis remembers starting to vote consistently for the ALP around the time Bob Hawke was in power, promoting the image that the party was “not for the rich people”.
Since then, he has seen elected representatives “promise too many things” and “never deliver”.
In his more than 40 years living and working in Preston he said he had not met any of his local candidates and only voted because he’d “get a fine if [he] didn’t”.
“I never see someone talk to me, ask about any problems — nobody asks,” he said.
“Many people are in it [politics] for the money, the position — not for the people.”
Lifelong Preston resident Rosita Dimas, who works in bank sales services, said she’d “probably go Labor again” because she was a fan of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and believed Scott Morrison had been “a bit of a moron” during his prime ministership.
“I don’t like Scott — he’s got to go. I think he’s had his fun,” she said.
Ms Dimas said she generally voted Labor because she knew what they stood for — “working class kind of stuff” — and believed politics was a matter of “better the devil you know”.
But she did not expect a change of government to make a big difference in her life.
“I find them all the same — they all kind of stuff it up,” she said.
“Truly, I just get the piece of paper [at the polling booth] and play noughts and crosses.
“I just avoid the ones I don’t like and the ones I don’t know.”
Preston resident of 24 years Anna would “rather see a woman in there”, but out of the two leading contenders for the prime ministership this year, her vote was for Labor’s Anthony Albanese.
“He’s trying,” she said.
“What we’ve got now — I honestly don’t think anyone wants another four years of that.
“Whatever he [Scott Morrison] promises, he never delivers.
“To have people in bushfire and flood areas still waiting for money is just ridiculous.”
Health promotion officer and mum of two Bonnie Morrison planned to vote for the Greens based on their policies around climate change, saying that was the single issue that “keeps [her] awake at night” and that the major parties’ responses had been “appalling”.
For Ms Morrison, who moved to Preston from Richmond about eight years ago because it was “what [she] could afford,” meaningful action on climate change involves shifting away from fossil fuels, resourcing science and technology to facilitate the transition to renewables, and “incentivising using less and being wiser with resources in general”.
She said she had “very much zero faith” in the Coalition to take such action — based on its support of the coal mining industry — but would consider supporting Labor or an independent candidate if they came out strongly with climate commitments.
And she said other parents with children at the local primary school felt the same.
“There’s so much pressure and anxiety as families and as parents around what we’re leaving for our children.
“The major two [parties] aren’t offering anything we need.
“Any change is going to take time, but I have seen other suburbs change to Green.”
Disability support worker Nicolas Mirguet and electrician Robert Marson were also going Green.
“I don’t really trust the system,” Mr Mirguet said.
“Locally, we’re doing all right but it’s just more the big picture.
“Where we’re going with the system — working in disability I can see what’s wrong.
“Everything’s a bit unbalanced.”
Mr Marson has lived in Preston for about 50 years and is excited to witness the change in voting trends.
“I’m looking at [buying] an electric car — because that’s where we’re going,” he said.
“But the major parties don’t seem to give a shit.”
His work brings him in contact with many of the area’s newest residents and he’s hopeful their votes will help “shake things up” in the safe Labor seat.
“I think there will be a change, maybe not this election, maybe the next.
“The Greens won’t get up until the older people move out — and there’s still a lot of them.”
It is possible to find a Liberal supporter in Preston.
Semi-retired cafe/bakery owner and former council candidate John Menara was “born and bred Labor” but no longer trusts the party.
“They [politicians] are all thieves anyway — they’re all tarred with the same brush,” he said.
“But Labor’s very good at spending other people’s money”.
Mr Menara said the ALP “lost” him because of the financial deregulation policies introduced by Paul Keating and Bob Hawke, which he said had “kicked the shit out of the little people ever since”.
He said it was “unfortunate” that Preston voters continued to support the ALP.
“If we were to vote Liberal, we might get more happening here — Labor might pump more money into it, do more for it.
“Unfortunately, that’s never happened.”
And then you have those voters who wait until the last minute to make up their minds, like hair salon owner David Cozi, office manager Courtney Wright, chef Andreas Politis, and school crossing supervisor Jo Harris.
Mr Cozi said he would be looking out for policies supporting education, healthcare and aged care as he wasn’t convinced either of the major parties could do much for him as a business owner.
“I don’t watch TV and I haven’t seen any advertising material, I just decide on the day depending on my mood,” he said.
“I usually have a dinner with friends and family and have a chat about it and that’s it.”
Ms Wright had and similar approach, and similar priorities.
“I’ll see what’s being offered at the time,” she said.
“I’m more family orientated.
“I look funding and services around having young children, schools.
“I’m not hard, fast, staunch either way — they all have good and bad.”
Mr Politis was “definitely not voting Liberal” but wasn’t sure what would be the best way to achieve his desired changes such as more money spent on the north end of Darebin and more promotion of small business.
“I used to feel like it was such safe [Labor] seat here that voting anything else be a waste,” he said.
“But then in safe seats it seems like not enough gets done — they need to feel a bit of pressure to make meaningful change.”
He said he knew a Greens supporter campaigning for the Liberal party this year for that very reason, but wasn’t likely to go that far himself.
“I’m embarrassed to say I don’t understand the system that well.”
Ms Harris said she’d get together with a group of colleagues in the days leading up to the election and discuss “what’s going to work best for the community”.
She said the fact Labor had held the seat of Jagajaga for so long showed they must be doing something right.
“I think everything’s pretty much pretty good as long as they keep doing what they’re doing,” she said.
More Coverage
Alleged Fountain Gate slasher also accused of vile animal abuse
The man accused of attacking shoppers with a box cutter after allegedly wolf-whistling at two young girls has also been charged with animal cruelty and assaulting a woman with a hammer.
Family day out at the 117th Foster Agricultural Show
Families are all hyped up and excited for the 117th Foster Agricultural Show on the weekend. Check back to view the photo gallery.