Greens crusade to topple Labor in Batman by-election
THE Greens want voters to send Bill Shorten a message today as polls open for the marginal seat of Batman by-election.
THE Greens will be hoping to make it a dark night for Labor as the parties battle it out for the Melbourne seat of Batman.
However, senior Labor figures remain confident former ACTU boss Ged Kearney can hold the seat, vacated by David Feeney over his dual citizenship.
With the Liberal Party not fielding a candidate, the by-election will be a test of whether the Greens’ march into inner-metropolitan seats continues apace or Labor is showing signs of appealing to a young “hipster” demographic.
A win would give the Greens two seats in the House of Representatives. Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese is confident his party will retain Batman, which is held by a margin of one per cent.
He says it’s a choice between having someone who could be a voice in a Labor government or an MP who waits for decisions to be made and then protests against them.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale, who has appeared regularly with candidate Alex Bhathal, has sought to make the campaign about fighting the Adani coal mine in Queensland and being fairer to refugees.
He says the community has “outgrown the Labor party”.
Ten candidates are running in the seat, which is named after the early settler and explorer John Batman.
PROFILE OF THE VICTORIAN MARGINAL SEAT OF BATMAN
• Named after “founder of Melbourne” John Batman, first proclaimed in 1906
• Covers inner-Melbourne northern suburbs including Thomastown, Clifton Hill, Northcote, Preston and Reservoir
• 108,942 enrolled voters in the 2016 federal election
• Held by Labor since 1934, except for three years when the ALP’s Sam Benson became an independent in 1966
• By-election was sparked by the resignation of David Feeney amid the dual citizenship saga
• The seat has become increasingly marginal, with growing support for the Greens
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