Brunswick

Margin: Labor 3.6% versus Greens
Region: Northern Metropolitan
Federal: Wills (98%)/Melbourne (2%)

Candidates in ballot paper order

	TIM READ Greens (bottom) WARD YOUNG Animal Justice FRANK GIURLEO Family First JANE GARRETT Labor (top) DEAN O’CALLAGHAN Independent GIUSEPPE VELLOTTI Liberal STELLA KARIOFYLLIDIS People Power BABAR PETERS Australian Christians

Traditionally an inner urban Labor stronghold, Brunswick has more recently been among the seats in which the Greens have been competitive without ever quite being able to get over the line. The electorate is bounded by Moonee Ponds Creek in the west and Merri Creek in the east, encompassing the entirety of Brunswick, Brunswick West and Brunswick East together with the southern parts of Pascoe Vale South and Coburg in the north. The redistribution has made two adjustments in the south, smoothing the boundary with Richmond at Fitzroy North to add 200 voters north of Park Street and remove 600 to its south. A further area has been added around the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Royal Park campus in Parkville, affecting around 600 voters who were formerly in Melbourne.

Brunswick was created in its current form at the 2002 election with the abolition of Coburg, having previously existed from 1904 to 1955 and again from 1976 to 1992. The seat was in Labor hands throughout each period, the only interruption being member Peter Randles’ alignment with the Anti-Communist Labor camp following the 1955 split. Together with Melbourne, Richmond and Northcote, Brunswick is among the four electorates where the Greens have finished second at the last three elections, their vote progressing from 8.7% in Coburg in 1999 to 24.3% in Brunswick in 2002, 29.7% in 2006 and 30.2% in 2010.

At the 2010 election, Brunswick was the only seat of the four where the Greens reduced the two-party margin, despite the effect of the Liberals directing preferences against them. This caused it to overtake Melbourne for the Greens’ best result on two-party preferred. However, the primary vote was slightly lower than in Melbourne and Northcote, perhaps reflecting the 10.7% share of the vote for Phil Cleary, the former federal independent member for Wills.

The current member for Brunswick is Jane Garrett, a former Slater & Gordon lawyer and adviser to Steve Bracks. Garrett came to the seat in 2010 upon the retirement of Carlo Carli, who had held first Coburg and then Brunswick since 1994. A member of the Socialist Left faction, Garrett won preselection with support of factional heavyweight Senator Kim Carr, as well as John Brumby. The Greens candidate is Tim Read, a doctor and medical researcher working with HIV patients. Read was the party’s candidate for Wills at last year’s federal election, where it finished ahead of the Liberals for the first time.