Victorian ALP prepares ‘red shirt’ volunteer army to defend inner-city seats from Greens

THE Victorian Labor Party is firing up its “red shirt” volunteer army to defend inner-city Melbourne seats under threat from the Greens, more than a year out from the next state election.

THE Victorian Labor Party is firing up to defend inner-city Melbourne seats under threat from the Greens, more than a year out from the next state election.

An army of volunteer ALP doorknockers will descend on the precarious electorates of Richmond, Preston and Brunswick from July.

Now-premier Daniel Andrews visiting campaign volunteers during the final days of the 2014 election campaign.

The two bayside seats of Mordialloc and Carrum will also be targeted by the Labor Community Action Network in the desperate bid for the Andrews government to hold ground.

ALP assistant secretary Kosmos Samaras confirmed Labor was gearing up in the city seats early but denied internal concerns, saying “we expect to win them all’’.

“The Labor Party is serious about winning the next election and it’s not going to wait around for the formal campaign to start,’’ he said.

Greens leader Greg Barber. Picture: Nicole Garmston

It is understood recent polling showed the Greens are looking strong to win Northcote, currently held by Labor MP Fiona Richardson.

However, Labor will not deploy its army of “red shirts” in the seat next month.

Instead, resources will be deployed further north in the Preston electorate held by Minister for Finance and Multicultural Affairs Robin Scott.

Currently, the Victorian Greens hold the two Legislative Assembly seats of Melbourne and Prahran and remain confident they will pick more up in 2018.

Rumours also persist that Greens Party Leader Greg Barber will run in the seat of Richmond to unseat Planning Minister and Labor veteran Richard Wynne.

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In June, Mr Barber unexpectedly announced he would not recontest his Northern Metropolitan seat in the Legislative Council.

He flagged staying on as party leader, fuelling speculation about a lower house tilt.

“They’re a few thousand votes from losing a few more lower house seats to us, and that would put the Greens in balance of power in both houses,’’ Mr Barber told the Herald Sun.

In Melbourne’s southeast, Labor won the sandbelt seats of Mordialloc and Carrum off the Liberals in 2014 and is expecting to face a tough rematch from well-known local candidates.

Liberal spokesman Tim Smith said Premier Daniel Andrews is “more interested in Preston then he is in Pakenham or Patterson Lakes”.

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