Victorian election: Daniel Andrews leads Labor to victory

LABOR has stormed to power in Victoria with a workable majority but will face the threat of a rising tide of Greens support.

LABOR has stormed to power in Victoria with a workable majority but will face the threat of a rising tide of Greens support that delivered at least one lower house seat to the minor party.

Premier Denis Napthine conceded the election shortly after 10pm and announced he would quit the leadership.

The Coalition was swept from power after failing to make any inroads in regional Victoria and suffering heavy losses in the city marginals, including the four critical sandbelt seats in south-eastern Melbourne.

The result sparked immediate recriminations, with Victorian Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge blaming federal factors for a large part of the Coalition result.

Labor’s projected majority of 47 seats in an 88 seat parliament was soured by the loss of the inner city seat of Melbourne to the Greens’ Ellen Sandell.

The Greens were also in the race to win up to three seats, with lineball contests in the inner city seats of Prahran and Richmond.

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Labor’s Premier-elect Daniel Andrews last night claimed victory about 10.15pm, promising to deliver on his agenda of job creation, education and the removal of train level crossings.

“Tonight you have changed our party, you have changed the government, now we will change our state,’’ Mr Andrews told his supporters.

"The people of Victoria have today said no to tired, negative politics.

"That work begins tomorrow because I will not accept four more years like the last four.’’

Mr Andrews hailed the performance of Labor state secretary Noah Carroll and his work behind the ALP’s extraordinarily successful, community-based campaign.

The seat count before pre-poll votes was forecast to be 47 Labor, 37 Coalition, one Greens and one independent and two undecided.

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The Coalition defeat will spark bitter internal recriminations, with Nationals’ leader Peter Ryan questioning the efficacy of the Liberal campaign.

Dr Napthine accepted responsibility for the defeat and said he left behind a legacy of the nation’s strongest economy.

But he would not remain in parliament, declaring: "It is time for renewal, it is time for change.’’

"And we will be back at the next election.’’

This is expected to lead to a two-way contest between Planning Minister Matthew Guy and Treasurer Michael O’Brien.

The success of the Greens in the lower was the standout surprise of the election.

With Labor winning a majority in the 88-member lower house, the ALP was jubilant after cutting the Coalition down after one term.

The last time this happened was in 1955 after the great Labor split.

The Nationals lost at least one seat, the electorate of Shepparton in the state’s north, to a Labor-leading independent.

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Community Services Minister Mary Wooldridge last night blamed federal factors for many of the problems faced by the Coalition.

"I think the federal issues have been very important,’’ she told the ABC.

"And you wouldn’t have 80 per cent of the Labor Party’s negative advertising featuring Tony Abbott as well as Denis Napthine if the Labor Party didn’t think the federal issues swing votes.

"I think it has been significant.’’

But Tony Abbott’s Family Services Minister Kevin Andrews said the result was based on state factors, arguing that the NSW government had not suffered in the polls to the same extent as the Napthine government.

"I think we have to separate fact from fiction.’’

Former Labor Premier Steve Bracks said the new Labor government would not form a coalition with the Greens.

"They won’t be influential as a crossbencher,’’ he said.

Many of the 1.1 million pre-poll votes will be counted this week.

FULL COVERAGE: Victoria decides