Victorian election 2022: Polwarth and Monbulk go from not to hot

Polwarth and Monbulk are usually a yawn fest on state election nights. So why is 2022 set to rock the electoral boat?

North by northeast and south by southwest, on the urban-rural diving line, the major political parties are being put to the test ahead of the Victorian election in November.

If you’d asked Spring St veterans four years ago, they would have predicted that Monbulk — covering the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges — remain Labor red for generations to come.

They’d also have said that Polwarth — sandwiched between a growing Geelong and the southwest Victorian coast — would be a locked Liberal blue forever and a day.

But times, and electoral boundaries, change.

James Merlino, deputy premier for nearly eight years, stood down as Daniel Andrews’ second-in-command in June as will depart as Monbulk’s representative after two decades ahead of the November election.

Former union official and school teacher Daniela De Martino has been preselected as the ALP’s replacement for Mr Merlino, and is the bookmaker’s favourite to succeed him come November.

But landscape business owner Gareth Ward isn’t deterred by his long-shot odds, running as the Liberal candidate.

“I became politically active after my business was unjustly shut down and I was forced to survive and continue to cover bills while not being allowed to operate,” he said.

“I had to sell off some of our machinery. Then the storms of June 2021 happened, and I saw how locals banded together and looked after each other, volunteering their time and money. In contrast, I was horrified by the Government’s response. We felt abandoned by the Government.”

Gareth Ward. Picture: Zoe Phillips

While Mr Ward is pushing for a swing to the centre-right in Labor territory, Hutch Hussein is aiming for a swing to the centre-left in Liberal territory.

Unlike Mr Merlino, Liberal MP Richard Riordan is not planning to leave Spring St, aiming for third election win in Polwarth.

But Ms Hussein, a former ALP state president, says Polwarth could go Labor’s way after more than a century as a conservative stronghold.

“Polwarth needs more than an MP who complains from the sidelines,” she said.

“It has frustrated me that for way too long, this electorate has been largely overlooked and taken for granted by the Liberal Party.

“My family and I have lived in Torquay for a while now — since pre-Covid — and we love all the beach-to-bush opportunities living on the coast provides.”

Constituencies around Melbourne’s suburban boundary always present headaches for whichever side of politics is in power.

New schools, widened roads, even a hospital or two are required to service the thousands of new home owners starting off with a quarter-acre block and a freshly-approved mortgage.

It’s why Opposition Leader Matthew Guy was in Werribee last week to announce a new campus of the Royal Childrens Hospital.

Premier Daniel Andrews has also been a frequent visitor to the urban-rural boundary, with a series of localised infrastructure announcements in recent months.

But on the flipside, the ever-encroaching suburban sprawl presents challenges for primary producers located on the Melways frontier.

Victorian Farmers Federation vice president Danyel Cucinotta operates an egg farm in the Werribee region and has seen first-hand the challenges presented by urban growth.

“Roads that were once quiet and carried rural traffic have turned into car parks as Melbourne continues to expand,” she said.

“That pushes many farmers off the road, unable to move agricultural machinery.”

Ms Cucinotta said the VFF was calling for a program to map strategic agricultural land throughout Victoria.

“We need to ensure impacts on agriculture are properly considered when assessing planning permit applications,” she said.

Rates and fire services are also front of mind ahead of November.

“Because of high land values closer to Melbourne, most peri-urban farmers are paying the highest local government rates across the state,” Ms Cucinotta said.

“Many farms on the edge of Melbourne are in the most dangerous bushfire zones in the world. Farming is often overlooked when responding to disasters. That’s why we need government to work with the agriculture industry to embed understanding of farm businesses.”

Melbourne’s skyrocketing house prices and the past two years of coronavirus lockdowns have encouraged many to relocate to more spacious and affordable housing on the city’s edge.

“We have more people moving up to the hills, especially after the work-from-home mandates came in,” Mr Ward said. “This has revealed the shortcomings of our existing infrastructure. “Much of it is outdated and it struggles to keep up with growing demand.”

Hutch Hussein. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Ms Hussein said there’s been a demographic shift near Geelong too.

“The make-up of country seats is changing,” she said. “I see it in Polwarth. My family and many others have moved to this region for lifestyle, jobs and the environment.”

The population shift necessitated some significant changes to electorate boundaries.

Redistributions since the 2018 state election have reshaped both Monbulk and Polwarth.

A decade ago, Polwarth was a far more rural constituency — and far safer for the Liberal Party — with then transport minister Terry Mulder holding the seat on a very safe 13 per cent margin.

Today, it’s far tighter electoral proposition.

“The recent redistribution which has moved Torquay into Polwarth, and made it a 2.2 per cent marginal seat, has woken many people up,” Ms Hussein said.

“This is a seat that should get more attention. People’s excitement at the prospect of a competitive contest that will make this a seat to watch on election night.”

Similarly, Monbulk’s margin has been cut for Labor from 8.6 to 7.1 per cent – still safe for the ALP but without an incumbent MP.

“I personally believe no seat is safe – especially now, when people have become more politically aware and have seen how dramatically the State Government can affect their day to day lives,” Mr Ward said.

“Victoria and Monbulk are very different places than they were four years ago.”

Polwarth MP Richard Riordan said roads, health care and planning were all issues of concern for voters in his electorate, with the Andrews Government failing in all three.

“Nine times out of ten, the biggest concern from voters is road maintenance,” the Liberal MP said.

“But Victorian Labor’s health care and planning records have also been poor and it’s all state-based issues- you can’t blame the feds (federal government) for the mismanagement of hospitals, lack of future planning for residential and accommodation. For instance, the Torquay Community Hospital promised by the Andrews Government is still a paddock full of thistles. Voters are seeing that this government is full of talk, but little action.”

Monbulk Labor candidate Daniela De Martino was contacted by The Weekly Times but did not respond in time for deadline.