Lara
Margin: Labor 13.8%
Region: Western Victoria
Federal: Corio
Candidates in ballot paper order
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GREGORY LACEY GEORGE REED JOHN EREN TONY McMANUS RAMI FOSBERRY |
2010 BOOTH RESULTS MAP |
PAST RESULTS
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DEMOGRAPHICS |
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RESULTS MAP: Two-party preferred booth results from 2010 state election showing Liberal majority in blue and Labor in red. New boundaries in thicker blue lines, old ones in thinner red lines. Boundary data courtesy of Ben Raue of The Tally Room.
PAST RESULTS: Break at 1999 represents effect of the subsequent redistribution.
DEMOGRAPHICS: Based on 2012 census. School Leavers is percentage of high school graduates divided by persons over 18. LOTE is number identified as speaking language other than English at home, divided by total population.
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Lara covers northern Geelong and mostly semi-rural territory to its north, taking its name from a town 18 kilometres to the city’s north-east. Previously it extended along the bayside to take in the western part of Werribee, but this has been ceded to the new electorate of that name, accounting for 14,000 voters. It has been compensated by moving further into Geelong, taking 10,000 voters in North Geelong, Hamlyn Heights, Bell Park, Rippleside and Drumcondra. The former area being slightly stronger for Labor than the latter, the effect of the changes is to shave 1.6% from the Labor margin.
The electorate adopted its current name at the 2002 redistribution, prior to which it was called Geelong North. Geelong North was held from its creation in 1967 until 1992 by Geelong Football Club stalwart Neil Trezise, father of current Geelong MP Ian Trezise, and they by Peter Loney, who carried over to Lara in 2002. Loney announced his retirement a year out from the 2006 election, at which time it was evident that he was not going to withstand a preselection challenge from the present incumbent, John Eren.
Eren was born in Turkey and worked as an electorate officer for Kelvin Thomson, the federal member for Wills, before winning election to the upper house province of Geelong in 2002. The reform of the upper house that took effect at the 2006 election left him looking for a lower house both, which he was able to secure with help from the dominance his Labor Unity faction had established locally over Peter Loney’s Socialist Left. The faction’s local offensive also saw Richard Marles depose Gavan O’Connor from the federal seat of Corio 2007. Eren was promoted to shadow parliamentary secretary following the 2010 election defeat, then to the ministry in the sports and recreation and volunteers portfolios in February 2012, which he traded for tourism and major events in December 2013.