Voting data analysis shows Portarlington, Newtown, Connewarre voters correctly picked federal government since 2004

We’ve crunched the numbers and these are the voters who have quietly picked the government at every election since 2004. SEE THE DATA.

WHEN Prime Minister Scott Morrison snatched a come from behind victory at the 2019 election, he told adoring supporters that “quiet Australians” had delivered the Coalition to government.

“It has been those Australians who have worked hard everyday, they have their dreams, they have their aspirations; to get a job, to start a business, to meet someone amazing; to start a family; to buy a home and work hard and provide the best you can for your kids; to save for your retirement and to ensure when your are in your retirement that you can enjoy it because you’ve worked hard for it. These are the quiet Australians who have won a great victory tonight,” Mr Morrison said on May 18, 2019.

To find where the “quiet Australians” are, who seemingly deliver governments to power, News Corp has analysed polling booth data across all electorates between 2004 and 2019.

The results reveal two voting booths in Corangamite at Connewarre and Portarlington, and one in the Corio electorate at Newtown, have correctly picked the government at every election since 2004.

To gauge the mood of the electorate the Addy hit the hustings at Portarlington to find out what some of the 1845 people who voted there in 2019 were thinking ahead of the federal election.

John Rae,75, who retired to Portarlington in mid 1990s and works with the town’s business association said he wanted more federal government support for small business.

Portarlington election story

“I’d like to see tax breaks for local businesses. Small business over the pandemic have suffered quite dramatically.

“Health has to be looked at very carefully because of our ageing population.”

Mr Rae said government policy also needed to address worker shortages in casual roles.

He said workforce shortages in Portarlington had seen the fish and chip shop close on Sundays during the peak holiday period when the town’s population quadruples.

“I ring the owner up and he said ‘I can’t get staff. No one no one wants to work’.”

Koni Phiippou, 42, mother of two boys with autism said she wanted more flexibility on the National Disability Insurance Scheme so more funding could be spent on services rather than the cost of getting therapists to Portarlington.

“We need more variety and more therapists who want to work in Portarlington.”

Ms Phiippou, who has not decided how she will vote for at the election, said the town needed upgrades to its health services and the local pool.

Peter Kenny, 59, who owns and operates the 40ha Bellarine Estate said he wanted to see action on renewable energy.

Peter and Liz Kenny with sons Julian, left, and James, right, at their vineyard Bellarine Estate Winery. Picture: Mike Dugdale

Mr Kenny said his vote could be swayed by funding for hydro electricity generation at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, support for small scale electricity generation from wind power for businesses, and a satellite university campus at Portarlington where marine science and other courses relevant to the local economy could be studied.

Mr Kenny who has lived at Portarlington since 1996 said the government needed to have a strong stance on China.

“I personally believe that this country has nothing left in the way of manufacturing and it won’t be long until we’ve got totally nothing and we need to make a stand there.”

Mr Kenny a longtime Liberal voter said he was “by no means” rusted on.

“I just think they’re stable. We actually need the economy to be protected and to keep growing. We really need to be careful what happens in the next 24 months. It’s it’s a tough period now.”

Originally published as Voting data analysis shows Portarlington, Newtown, Connewarre voters correctly picked federal government since 2004