Northcote voters turn to traditional Labor issues ahead of by-election

VOTERS in Northcote are more concerned about health, schools and housing affordability than environmental issues, according to a new poll.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Labor candidate for Northcote, Clare Burns. Picture: George Salpigtidis

MINOR party preferences appear likely to hand the Andrews Government a critical victory over the Greens in tomorrow’s Northcote by-election, new polling has revealed.

The poll, obtained by the Herald Sun, has put Labor candidate ​Clare​ ​Burns marginally ahead of ​Greens candidate Lidia​ ​Thorpe, revealing voters believe health, education and cheaper housing are the top three issues in their lives.

The survey of 848 residents of the electorate, conducted by ReachTEL, has also debunked a theory from environmental groups that the push for Great Forest National Park in Melbourne’s northeast would be a vote-changer.

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Ms Thorpe has been installed as favourite with bookmakers to win the seat — held by Labor since 1927 — following the death of Labor MP Fiona Richardson.

The Greens have campaigned hard on environment issues, including creating a national park stretching from Kinglake to Mount Baw Baw and Eildon, linking the issue to the survival of the critically endangered leadbeater’s possum.

Lidia Thorpe, Greens candidate for Northcote, is a favourite with the bookies for tomorrow’s by-election.

But the survey, commissioned by the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, found just one-in-ten undecided voters identified the plan as the key issue influencing their vote.

About 39 per cent of voters intended to vote for Labor, while 34.4 per cent planned to back the Greens.

Almost 9 per cent favoured an independent, while 4.7 per cent chose Liberal Democrats candidate Dean Rossiter and 3.8 per cent for animal rights campaigner Nina Lenk.

Another 10 per cent of voters remain undecided, but about 54 per cent were leaning towards preferencing Labor ahead of the Greens.

Voters put health care (29 per cent), education (20.9 per cent), and housing affordability (17.1 per cent) as the most important issues, with just 13.8 per cent saying it was the creation of more national parks.

This figure dropped to just 11.4 per cent among undecided voters.

Establishing the Great Forest National Park would prove a savage blow for the timber industry. Picture: Aaron Francis

CFMEU National Secretary Michael O’Connor said the overwhelming majority of voters in Northcote — and in particular undecided voters — wanted a representative who was focused on the real world issues impacting their community.

“Not only do the overwhelming majority of Victorians support our sustainable forestry industry and the thousands of jobs it sustains, this poll reveals that among undecided voters in Northcote more than 80 per cent believe protecting regional jobs should be a greater focus than creating more national parks,” he said.