- November 10
- Politics
- Victoria
- Victorian election
This was published 2 years ago
Hawthorn MP contracts COVID-19, as nominations for seats close
By Clay Lucas
Hawthorn MP John Kennedy has contracted COVID-19 and will miss the drawing of the ballot for the ultra-marginal inner-eastern seat on Friday.
The 74-year-old Labor MP on Thursday night said he was “doing okay”, and that he would “rest and isolate for a few days”.
Labor MP for Hawthorn John Kennedy.Credit: Eddie Jim
A spokesman for Kennedy said the MP was “not experiencing a lot of symptoms”. Kennedy, who lives in a Hawthorn retirement village, is fully vaccinated. “He was at an event where someone else tested positive,” the spokesman said.
“He felt croaky so he tested and got a positive result.”
Kennedy’s COVID-19 result comes as cases around the country surge, with Victorian cases rising 60 per cent over the past week, NSW reporting a 40 per cent jump in cases and Queensland residents being asked to wear masks on public transport and in crowded indoor areas.
Nominations for the seat of Hawthorn, and for all Victorian electorates, closed for candidates endorsed by political parties on Thursday. Eight candidates are running in Hawthorn. Independents have until noon on Friday to nominate.
Kennedy will miss the ballot draw for the seat on Friday afternoon because of his diagnosis.
The result dictates the order that candidates will appear on the ballot paper. The ballot is now decided by a random computer-generated draw, rather than numbered balls.
Early voting for all Victorian seats opens at 9am on Monday.
Kennedy won the seat by just 330 votes from the Liberal Party’s John Pesutto in 2018. Pesutto is standing again in a bid to win back the seat from Kennedy, and a teal candidate, Melissa Lowe, is also running.
The state seat of Hawthorn falls entirely within the boundaries of the federal electorate of Kooyong, which teal candidate Monique Ryan won in May.
Both Lowe and Pesutto tweeted messages to Kennedy, wishing him a swift recovery.