Federal election 2022: Deakin voters in Heathmont have their say

With a local school booth identified as a trendsetter for results, we hit the ground to see how Heathmont locals are feeling ahead of this year’s federal election.

Heathmont’s Great Ryrie Primary School has been classified as a ‘bellwether’ voting booth at federal elections. File picture.

Deakin is once again shaping as a seat to watch in this year’s federal election, and voters at a Heathmont school could give a big clue on who will triumph.

The Great Ryrie Primary School booth in Heathmont is considered a bellwether booth — where voters have picked the result of each election since 2004.

It’s part of the seat of Deakin in Melbourne’s outer east, which also includes the suburbs of Ringwood, Croydon, Vermont and Bayswater North.

Deakin has traditionally been a Liberal seat, having been held by the party on all but two occasions since its inception in 1972.

Incumbent Michael Sukkar won back the seat in 2013 from Labor’s Mike Symon, and is seeking a fourth term at this year’s poll, tipped for May.

He holds the seat by a margin of 4.7 per cent, after Labor’s 2019 candidate Shireen Morris clawed back some ground at the last poll, making it an even more marginal Liberal seat.

Labor’s Matt Gregg is taking on Mr Sukkar for the seat, while the Greens’ Rob Humphreys and United Australia Party’s Bianca Gidley have also nominated.

Leader spoke to locals around the school and at Heathmont Village shopping centre, with most undecided on who they would vote for this year.

Ringwood’s Brian and Heathmont’s Margaret said they were likely to remain Liberal voters, with Brian saying the Liberals “are better at managing money even though they’ve spent a lot with Covid.”

But Brian predicted Labor could win the election, as some voters look to “blame someone when things go wrong”.

“It depends on how people feel on the day, it’s going to go down to the wire,” he said.

Others hinted they could be switching their vote this election.

Heathmont’s Sally said she usually voted for the Liberals, but said the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic would be on her mind and others’ as well.

Heathmont's Sally says she's undecided who she'll vote for in the 2022 Federal Election. Picture: Kiel Egging.

“Lots of people are going to think about what we’ve gone through in the last two years, and which party might help us get out of it in a better way,” she said.

Others had concerns with Mr Sukkar’s performance since the last poll, with Heathmont’s Mara singling out the planned multi-level commuter carpark at the suburb’s railway station.

Construction on the carpark, and others promised by Mr Sukkar and the Liberals in 2019 at Ringwood and Heatherdale stations, is yet to begin.

“I definitely won’t be voting Liberal, I don’t like their ideas,” Mara said.

“It (the carpark) is going cause more traffic and destroy the nature of the area, and that’s what Heathmont is all about.”

Ringwood’s John, who is undecided, also predicted Mr Sukkar could be in for a fight to retain his seat.

“I’m focused on the quality of the local member we have … Michael Sukkar, he could have a challenging time this election,” he said.

John said he thought the results at the Great Ryrie PS booth could be impacted by changing demographics in the area.

Heathmont’s Adrian said he hadn’t given the election much thought, but was leaning towards Anthony Albanese as preferred prime minister, saying Scott Morrison was “behind the ball with the fires and floods”.

Heathmont’s Kate disagreed, saying she wasn’t an “Albo” fan.

Heathmont's Kate believes the federal opposition are a 'bunch of wingers', and is leaning towards the Liberal Party at the 2022 election. Picture: Kiel Egging.

“ScoMo isn’t a saint, but he’s done OK in crazy circumstances,” Kate said.

“I don’t like the opposition, they’re a bunch of wingers,” she said.

Kate, whose children attended Great Ryrie PS, called for traffic improvements along Great Ryrie St outside the school, and for a kinder to be built there as well.

Ringwood East’s Alex, a longtime Liberal voter, said he was “not impressed by anybody this time”, and would base his vote on which party had the best plan for jobs, small business and manufacturing.

“We need more workers locally … I’m a business owner and I’m desperate for apprentices,” he said.

Originally published as Federal election 2022: Deakin voters in Heathmont have their say