Melton
Margin: Labor 13.6%
Region: Western Victoria
Federal: Gorton (75%)/Ballarat (25%)
Candidates in ballot paper order
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MATT DeLEON DARYL LANG SAV MANGION VICTOR BENNETT DON NARDELLA MABOR CHADHUOL MARIE-ANNE COOPER MOHAMAD ALJOFAN MONIKA THOMAS |
2010 BOOTH RESULTS MAP |
PAST RESULTS |
DEMOGRAPHICS |
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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The satellite town of Melton is located 35 kilometres to the north-west of Melbourne, and forms the basis of a safe Labor seat that encompasses both Melton and Bacchus Marsh further to the west. The areas rapid growth has caused it to lose large areas of semi-rural territory, with 2000 voters going to Buninyong in the west (formerly Ballarat East); 1300 around Rockbank going to Kororoit in the east; 1400 in Great Dividing Range territory around Blackwood going to Macedon in the north; and 1300 in and around Diggers Rest going to Sunbury in the north-east. The changes have added 0.8% to the Labor margin.
Melton has been held by Labor on comfortable margins since its creation in 1992, firstly by David Cunningham until 1999, and henceforth by Don Nardella. A former welder and member of the hard left Pledge faction, Nardella entered parliament as a member for the upper house province of Melbourne North in 1992. He was on the back bench for most of Labor’s years in office, before winning promotion to parliamentary secretary for roads and ports in January 2010. After the 2010 election defeat he maintained only his position of Acting Speaker, but was promoted parliamentary secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in early 2014. In 2006 he survived a strong preselection challenge from local branch member Ken Hardy, which was said to have been backed by the Left faction Electrical Trades Union.