Seat of the week: Wills

Located in Melbourne’s middle north, Wills was once home to Bob Hawke, is now home to Kelvin Thomson, and was home in the interim to independent Phil Cleary. It has never been home to the Liberals.

Red and green numbers respectively indicate booths with two-party majorities for Labor and the Greens. Click for larger image. Map boundaries courtesy of Ben Raue at The Tally Room.

Wills covers an area of Melbourne’s middle north, from long-established Brunswick in the south and Coburg in the centre to post-war suburbs further north. Like its eastern neighbour Batman, it straddles the divide between the Greens stronghold of the inner city and the expansive Labor heartland of Melbourne’s northern suburbs. However, the former area carries lesser weight in Wills than in Batman, being confined to the area around Brunswick, which makes the seat substantially more secure for Labor. The electorate was created with the expansion of parliament in 1949, though at that time its southern end was covered by the since-abolished electorate of Burke (an unrelated electorate of the same name covered Melbourne’s outer north from 1969 to 2004). Prior to 1949, an electorate called Bourke had boundaries similar to those Wills has had since Burke was abolished in 1955. Labor’s strength in the area was established early, with Bourke being held by either Labor or socialist independents from 1910 until it was abolished.

The inaugural member for Wills was Bill Bryson, who had won Bourke for Labor in 1943 before losing to an independent in 1946. Bryson was among seven Victorian “groupers” who were expelled from the party during the split of 1955, and he contested that year’s election as the candidate of the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist), which would shortly evolve into the Democratic Labor Party. However, Bryson was defeated by Labor candidate Gordon Bryant, who went on to serve as Aboriginal Affairs Minister in the Whitlam government. When Bryant retired in 1980, the seat was used to accommodate Bob Hawke’s long-anticipated entry to parliament, enabling him to assume the prime ministership three years later.

Hawke resigned from parliament immediately after losing the leadership in December 1991, providing Paul Keating with an early electoral test in the form of a by-election for a seat the party had never lost before. The test was failed disastrously: in a record field of 22 candidates, local football identity Phil Cleary outpolled the Labor candidate 33.5% to 29.4%, prevailing by 15.7% after preferences. The result was declared void the following November when the High Court ruled Cleary had not been qualified to nominate as his job as a teacher constituted “an office of profit under the Crown”. The imminence of the 1993 election meant no new by-election was held, but Cleary won the seat at the ensuing election by a margin of 2.4%. Cleary’s position was subsequently weakened when redistribution pushed the seat westwards, and Labor candidate Kelvin Thomson provided his party with a rare highlight at the 1996 election when he polled 50.0% of the primary vote to prevail over Cleary by 5.8% after preferences.

A member of the Labor Unity (Right) faction, Thomson entered politics as the state member for Pascoe Vale in 1988, and served in the shadow ministry following the Kirner government’s defeat in 1992. He was elevated to the federal shadow ministry in 1997, serving in portfolios including environment and regional development. However, he resigned from the front bench in March 2007 when it emerged he had given a reference to colourful Melbourne identity Tony Mokbel. From February 2013 until the government’s defeat he served as a parliamentary secretary, first in the trade portfolio and then in schools after Kevin Rudd resumed the leadership in June, after which he returned to the back bench. Thomson supported Julia Gillard in the February 2012 leadership ballot, but was among those who defected to the Rudd camp in June 2013. Together with the rest of his faction, he supported Bill Shorten in the post-election leadership contest. While Thomson’s electoral position has at all times remained secure, the Greens achieved a minor milestone at the 2013 election when they finished ahead of the Liberals to secure second place, ending up 15.2% arrears after the distribution of preferences.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

1,597 comments on “Seat of the week: Wills”

Comments Page 3 of 32
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  1. prettyone@86


    Mod Lib
    I would vote informal rather than for M. Turnbull.
    Voting informal is a statement in itself these days anyway and not being irresponsible so I wouldn’t feel bad about it.

    Terrific idea. Vote for nothing.

    Please.

  2. [AussieAchmed
    Posted Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 11:51 pm | PERMALINK
    …..
    By Stephen Koukoulas]

    Thanks for the comments from the left wing commentator.

    Here is what your actual Prime Minister and Treasurer thought:

    [“The Government has decided to terminate the carbon tax to help cost-of-living pressures for families and to reduce costs for small business,” Mr Rudd said.

    “This is the fiscally responsible thing to do.

    “The nation’s 370 biggest polluters will continue to pay for their carbon pollution but the cost will be reduced meaning less pressure on consumers.]

    Are you saying ALP Prime Minister Rudd and ALP Treasurer Bowen and ALP Minister Butler were all wrong?

  4. Mod

    Are you saying ALP Prime Minister Rudd and ALP Treasurer Bowen and ALP Minister Butler were all wrong?

    You might have noticed that people either said exactly that, that he was playing word games or something similar at the time :P.

  5. O dear does Prettyone not realise that the NDIS is designed to improve the performance of the disability sector.

    Does Prettyone think the current system is value for money which is servicing the needs of people with a disability.

  7. [Scarpat
    Posted Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 11:58 pm | PERMALINK
    Mod wants Turnbull to lead a moderate Liberal party and keep the Union dominated ALP sell-outs as far from the Treasury benches for as long as possible.

    What is more likely to happen ]

    Is there a neither is likely to happen option?

  9. The NBN is a fine example of everything wrong with the current Liberal Party.

    It is an asset with massive earning potential and productivity gains therefore a business minded Liberal Party should be fully supportive of it.

  10. Libs will always do things more efficiently.
    There’s a huge debt problem to fix. It’s a depressing scenario I think for any treasurer.
    NBN NDIS and PPL are part of the fabric now and so have to be funded. It’s a massive massive job.

  11. Gareth Jones, Dun & Bradstreet’s CEO, said: “We are delighted to have Stephen on board.”

    “He is a well-respected economist who brings with him more than 25 years of experience across domestic and international economic and financial markets. Stephen also provides a unique perspective on micro and macroeconomic trends that will further strengthen D&B’s business insights,” said Mr Jones.

    Dun and Bradsteet think he’s pretty good so I guess that makes them a left wing multi-national business

  15. prettyone

    Australia does not have a huge debt problem.

    The Australian government like any business has debt within its budget, this is a normal part of business.

    It is only a problem if the debt cannot be repaid.

    Australia does not have this problem.

  16. [ There’s a huge debt problem to fix. It’s a depressing scenario I think for any treasurer.
    NBN NDIS and PPL are part of the fabric now and so have to be funded. It’s a massive massive job. ]
    Having blocked all attempts to address Howard’s structural deficit, the Libs have borrowed half a Trillion dollars

  17. July 2013 – In a US journal interview Tony Abbott has conceded – in an interview with an international journal – that Australians enjoy a “high and rising standard of living”.

    This is – according to available statistical evidence – true. It’s just not the message we’ve been getting from politicians – and especially not from the Coalition for, oh, about the last four years.

  18. [dave
    Posted Sunday, October 27, 2013 at 12:11 am | PERMALINK
    …..Joe just increased it all by 60%.]

    How did Joe increase it by 60%?

  19. Countries with huge debt problems don’t get all three ratings agencies giving the a Triple A rating.

    Australia is one of only 8 countries to hold 3 x Triple a ratings.

  20. mexicanbeemer@109


    The NBN is a fine example of everything wrong with the current Liberal Party.

    The liberal party is a fine example of everything wrong with the current Liberal Party.

    They say yes to everything they should say no to and vise versa.

    Long may it be so 🙁

  22. On the NBN Australia should be sticking with the RealNBN.

    Despite any debt due to the investment.

    The debt will be paid off when the NBN is sold on completion. And at a profit. That’s what investments do, thye go up in value when done properly and not in a half-baked way using 20th century technology

  23. Are you saying ALP Prime Minister Rudd and ALP Treasurer Bowen and ALP Minister Butler were all wrong?

    Yes. They were wrong.

    Not only were they wrong, they were stupid to try running those lines about “terminating the carbon tax” etc etc.

    The CPI effects of the carbon price were so small, and exactly in line with what was predicted, that removing the carbon price will barely be noticeable.

    And, Mod Lib, you are still wasting our time and being a bandwidth thief. You said “slammed the brakes on with the Carbon Tax”, and then tried to use some cost of living guff as being equivalent to “slammed the brakes on”. Fail.

  24. Didn’t notice there was a new thread going. Posted this on the old one:

    Tones and Peta have been thinking about the first Question Time they will have to face

    So, in light of the overwhelming success they had with their most recent soiree with all their media mates, they have decided to invite Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek to another one, when Tones can practice his answers with Peta prompting him from another room via his ear-piece. Bronny Bishop is also invited to practice her Speaker skills.

    However, the technology soon lets them down. Sing along in sympathy with Tones’ lament to Peta, that she can come to his assistance by renewing the connection and continue to play the role of Her Master’s Voice. It is to the supplicant airs of the Beach Boys’ classic, “Help me, Rhonda”.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81BjS3k_FZ8
    :- )
    Well since I got my ear-piece
    I’ve had brainwaves comin’ outta my head
    Like how to traipse around
    And ensure my expenses get paid
    :- )
    Well, Peta you’ve done so fine (done so fine)
    But I’ve come a cropper this time
    Can you help me Peta
    Help me get this contraption to work
    :- )
    Help me Peta
    Help, help me Peta
    (x 6)
    Help me Peta yeah
    The friggin’ thing won’t start!
    :- )
    Bronny calls us to order
    And the first question gives me a shock
    Electric Bill hones in on how Joe’s borrowing
    Will send us into hock
    :- )
    Then Transformer Tanya
    Causes me a whole heap of added strife
    Asks why Don Randall went all the way to Cairns
    When he couldda used skype
    :- )
    Well, Peta they poked my eye (poked my eye)
    They make me wanna break down and cry
    You gotta help me Peta
    I haven’t got a flamin’ clue
    :- )
    Help me Peta
    Help, help me Peta
    (x 6)
    Help me Peta yeah
    The friggin’ thing won’t start!

  25. [Jackol
    Posted Sunday, October 27, 2013 at 12:19 am | PERMALINK
    Are you saying ALP Prime Minister Rudd and ALP Treasurer Bowen and ALP Minister Butler were all wrong?

    Yes. They were wrong.]

    Great, thanks.

    Not that hard really, is it?

  28. Scarpat
    Australia % of GDP 9.7% in 2007 to 27.2% in 2013
    unless i’m reading it wrong – it’s too late of a Saturday night to be looking at graphs!

  29. Prettytone

    What is this about

    Australia % of GDP 9.7% in 2007 to 27.2% in 2013

    Under Howard the % of GDP was 25% compared to currently 24%

  30. prettyone,

    You are reading it correctly. There is also the following paragraph further down in the article:

    Among OECD countries, Estonia seems to have its fiscal house in order, with debt projected to be less than 16% in 2014. Australia (with debt at 28% of GDP in 2014), Luxembourg (34.4%,) and Korea (36.7%) are also doing much better than average.

  31. It’s gone from 9.7% in 2007 to 27.2% in 2013.

    Now I’m not looking at tables and graphs anymore because it’s mind addling for me.

  33. Public debt as % of GDP from AussieAchmed’s link. I’ll leave that to you economists to ponder, I just looked at the graphs because AussieAchmed was kind enough to put up the link.

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