‘Just want it to be over’: Waiting game begins in battleground electorate of Goldstein

A “nervous” waiting game has begun for the two key opponents in the battleground electorate of Goldstein as polling booths close on election day.

Independent MP for Goldstein Zoe Daniel campaigned across the electorate on Saturday. Picture: Josie Hayden

As Australians took to the polling booths to cast their vote on the nation’s future, as did the two key opponents in the heated battle for the seat of Goldstein in Melbourne’s southeast.

Independent MP Zoe Daniel was one of the electorate’s first voters on Saturday, arriving at Hampton Primary School at 8am with her 18-year-old son to cast her ballot.

“It was really exciting and it felt quite emotional to be voting with my son,” Ms Daniel told The Australian.

“Obviously it’s been a very gruelling campaign and it feels very important to get over the line for the future that I think the community wants to have.”

Independent MP Zoe Daniel cast her vote in Hampton on Saturday morning. Picture: The Australian / Nadir Kinani

Dressed in her famously flashy campaign attire, Ms Daniel engaged with voters across the electorate on Saturday, telling The Australian her team were “trying to fight for every vote until the booths closed”.

“We’ve attended over 20 booths today, we crisscrossed the whole electorate and talked to a lot of voters and volunteers and it’s been incredibly positive right across the electorate,” she said.

Ms Daniel claimed the hotly contested seat of Goldstein in 2022, and currently holds it by a slim 1.80 per cent margin, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

The teal MP said she was looking forward to the close of polling booths at 6pm and would be campaigning until the end.

“I just want it to be over,” Ms Daniel said.

“I feel optimistic (but) I would never say I felt confident because I never take anything for granted.

“I’ll just be here to have those conversations with people who want to have them until the booths close.”

Liberal candidate Tim Wilson was also spotted campaigning on Saturday in a last-ditch effort to recover the seat of Goldstein – which he held between 2016 and 2022 – telling The Australian on Friday he was “under no illusion about the scale of the task”.

“You’re always nervous, of course, because we need to remind ourselves three Australian electoral milestones will be marked if we were to be successful in winning Goldstein at this election,” he said.

Liberal candidate Tim Wilson cast his vote at Beaumaris Secondary College on Saturday morning. Picture: NewsWire/ Nadir Kinani

“It would be a huge turnaround from the last election … we’re very excited it will be over, whatever the result.”

Mr Wilson cast his vote at Beaumaris Secondary College at 10am, before touring polling booths across the electorate for the remainder of the day.

The Liberal candidate was contacted by The Australian for comment on election day.