Meet the state by-election candidates

Meet the state by-election candidates

Docklanders are invited to meet the candidates in the upcoming state by-election at a special event at Watermark on Tuesday, July 10.

There are 16 candidates vying for the seat, which recently became vacant with the resignation of sitting member Bronwyn Pike.

Already eight candidates have indicated they will participate in the Docklands event, including leading contenders Jennifer Kanis (Labor) and Cathy Oke (Greens).

The event is being hosted by the Rotary Club of Docklands in conjunction with the Docklands Community Association and will be moderated by Docklands News editor Shane Scanlan.

Rotary Club president Joseph Ebbage said the event fell within the club’s mantra of “growing the Docklands community”.

The event starts at 6.30 and will comprise an hour of statements from candidates followed by 30 minutes of questions.  It is intended to conclude by 8pm.

The candidates for the July 21 election for the lower house seat of Melbourne are:  Berhan Ahmed; Ashley Fenn (Family First); Gerrit Schorel-Hlavka; David Nolte; John Perkins; Jennifer Kanis (Australian Labor Party); David Collyer; Patrick O’Connor; Michael Murphy (Democratic Labor Party); Joseph Toscano; Stephen Mayne; Kate Borland; Adrian Whitehead; Fiona Patten (Sex Party); Cathy Oke (Australian Greens); and Maria Bengtsson (Australian Christians).

Docklanders who have been here more than one month and are not enrolled anywhere else will be able to cast a provisional vote by presenting suitable identification at the polling booth on the day.

Docklands’ votes could be crucial to the outcome, considering that the Liberal Party is not contesting the election.  In 2010, the Liberals directed their preferences to Labor in an attempt to stymie the Greens.

At the last state election in November 2010 Docklands was one of only three booths in the district to vote Liberal (the others were East Melbourne and Melbourne).

Of 940 votes cast in Docklands in 2010, 420 went to Liberal candidate Luke Martin, 255 to Ms Pike and 184 to Greens candidate Brian Walters.

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