2010 Victorian state election

The 2010 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 27 November 2010, was for the 57th Parliament of Victoria. The election was to elect all 88 members of the Legislative Assembly and all 40 members of the Legislative Council. The incumbent centre-left Labor Party government, led by John Brumby, was defeated by the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition, led by Ted Baillieu. The election gave the Coalition a one-seat majority in both houses of parliament.

2010 Victorian state election

← 2006 27 November 2010 2014 →

All 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
All 40 seats in the Victorian Legislative Council
45 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Ted Baillieu John Brumby
Party Liberal/National coalition Labor
Leader since 8 May 2006 30 July 2007
Leader's seat Hawthorn Broadmeadows
Last election 32 seats 55 seats
Seats won 45 seats 43 seats
Seat change Increase 13 Decrease 12
Popular vote 1,417,146 1,147,348
Percentage 44.78% 36.25%
Swing Increase 5.17 Decrease 6.81
TPP 51.58% 48.42%
TPP swing Increase 5.96 Decrease 5.96

Results in each electorate.

Premier before election

John Brumby
Labor

Premier after election

Ted Baillieu
Liberal/National coalition

Voting is compulsory in Victoria. Elections for the Legislative Assembly use instant-runoff voting (called preferential voting in Australia) in single-member electorates (called districts). Elections for the Legislative Council use partial proportional representation, using single transferable vote (also called preferential voting) in multi-member electorates (called regions). Members of the Legislative Council are elected from eight electoral regions each returning five members, making the quota for election in each region 16.67 percent of valid votes cast in that region. The election was conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC).

Background

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At the 1999 election, the Labor Party led by Steve Bracks was able to form a minority government with the parliamentary support of 3 Independents, displacing the incumbent Jeff Kennett Liberal/National Coalition government. Labor was returned with a majority government after a landslide win at the 2002 election. Labor was elected for a third term at the 2006 election with a substantial but reduced majority. Labor won 55 of the 88 seats, a decrease of 7, and 54.4% of the two-party preferred vote, a decrease of 3.4%. Brumby replaced Bracks as Labor leader and Premier of Victoria in 2007.

Political changes

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The previous elections took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. At the 2006 election, the Labor Party won 55 of the 88 seats, the Liberal Party won 23, the National Party won 9, and there was 1 Independent. Since that date a number of political changes took place.

Both Premier Bracks and Deputy Premier John Thwaites resigned on 27 July 2007.

By-elections

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Between the 2006 and 2010 elections, four by-elections took place. In Bracks' seat of Williamstown and Thwaites' seat of Albert Park in 2007, former minister Andre Haermeyer's seat of Kororoit in 2008, and former minister Lynne Kosky's seat of Altona in 2010. All four seats were retained by Labor. Labor MP Craig Langdon resigned from his seat of Ivanhoe in August 2010, however the by-election writ was discharged by the Parliamentary Speaker due to the proximity of the state election coupled with the cost of holding a by-election.[1]

Campaign

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Adam Bandt, Brian Walters and Bob Brown of the Greens during the election campaign

The Liberal and National Parties contested the election as a Coalition, which they had not done since the previous agreement lapsed in 2000.[2] The Liberal Party departed from tradition and gave their preferences to Labor ahead of the Greens, thereby decreasing the chances of the Greens winning up to four inner city seats from Labor.[3]

The Coalition launched their campaign on 14 November 2010 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in the electoral district of Melbourne, with the slogan: "Fix the problems. Build the future." Labor launched their campaign on 16 November 2010 in the electoral district of Bendigo East, using the slogan: "For the times ahead." The Greens ran with the slogan "This time, I'm voting Green".

Issues

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The Coalition campaigned heavily against the Brumby Government's new Myki ticketing system, which had been delivered at triple the projected cost and years behind schedule, as well as its construction of an expensive desalination plant that many claimed was unnecessary.[4][5] Other issues included health, education, and law and order. Ted Baillieu promised to restore the budget to surplus, employ more nurses and police, make Victorian teachers the highest paid in the country, and abolish suspended sentences which were seen as out of touch with community standards.

Retiring MPs

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Labor

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Liberal

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National

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Results

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Legislative Assembly

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Government (45)
Coalition
  Liberal (35)
  National (10)

Opposition (43)
  Labor (43)
 
Lower house seat outcome of the Victorian 2010 election


 
PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Liberal1,203,65438.03  3.5935  12
Labor1,147,34836.25  6.8143  12
Greens354,69711.21  1.170 
Nationals213,4926.75  1.5810  1
Independents82,3952.60  0.310  1
Family First72,3542.29  2.000 
Country Alliance42,9381.36  1.360 
Democratic Labour28,1760.89  0.890 
Sex Party17,2520.55New0New
Socialist Alliance1,7870.06  0.020 
Christian Democrats6360.02  0.020 
Total3,164,729100.0088
Valid votes3,164,72995.04
Invalid/blank votes165,1344.96  0.40
Total votes3,329,863100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,582,23292.95  0.23
Two-party-preferred
Liberal/National1,633,31251.58  5.97
Labor1,533,22548.42  5.97
Total3,166,537100.00


Labor suffered a swing of 5.96 percent, a larger swing than the 1992 landslide that brought the Jeff Kennett-led Coalition to power.[6] However, much of that swing was wasted on landslide victories in the Coalition's heartland. As a result, the Coalition only just managed the 13-seat swing it needed to make Baillieu premier, netting it a bare majority of two seats.

On 29 November, with the result beyond doubt, Brumby conceded defeat. He resigned as state Labor leader the next day. The new Liberal/National government was sworn in on 2 December 2010,[7] and former Health Minister Daniel Andrews was elected Labor leader on 3 December.[8]

Legislative Council

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PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Labor1,137,46135.36  6.0916  3
Liberal (metropolitan)792,70224.65  3.3512  3
Liberal/National (joint ticket)595,33018.51  0.83
Liberal (country)6 
National3  1
Greens386,17212.01  1.433 
Family First91,9822.86  0.990 
Democratic Labour75,0802.33  0.360  1
Sex Party61,5421.91New0New
Country Alliance53,1491.65  1.200 
Christian Democrats12,3220.38  0.180 
Independents10,6460.330 
Total3,216,386100.0040
Valid votes3,216,38696.62
Invalid/blank votes112,4753.38  0.91
Total votes3,328,861100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,582,23292.93  0.20

Legislative Council seats

In the 40-member upper house where all members are up for re-election every term, the Coalition won a majority of 21 seats, with 16 seats won by Labor and 3 won by the Greens.[9][10]

Seats changing hands

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Seat Pre-2010 Swing Post-2010
Party Member Margin Margin Member Party
Bentleigh   Labor Rob Hudson 6.3 -7.1 0.8 Elizabeth Miller Liberal  
Burwood   Labor Bob Stensholt 3.7 -9.6 5.9 Graham Watt Liberal  
Carrum   Labor Jenny Lindell 6.7 -8.7 2.0 Donna Bauer Liberal  
Forest Hill   Labor Kirstie Marshall 0.8 -3.9 3.2 Neil Angus Liberal  
Frankston   Labor Alistair Harkness 3.2 -5.3 2.1 Geoff Shaw Liberal  
Gembrook   Labor Tammy Lobato 0.7 -7.5 6.8 Brad Battin Liberal  
Gippsland East   Independent Craig Ingram 9.1 -21.1 12.0 Tim Bull National  
Mitcham   Labor Tony Robinson 2.0 -4.7 2.8 Dee Ryall Liberal  
Mordialloc   Labor Janice Munt 3.5 -5.6 2.1 Lorraine Wreford Liberal  
Mount Waverley   Labor Maxine Morand 0.3 -7.8 7.4 Michael Gidley Liberal  
Prahran   Labor Tony Lupton 3.6 -7.8 4.3 Clem Newton-Brown Liberal  
Seymour   Labor Ben Hardman 6.7 -7.9 1.2 Cindy McLeish Liberal  
South Barwon   Labor Michael Crutchfield 4.1 -6.2 3.9 Andrew Katos Liberal  

In 2006, the final Gippsland East 2PP count included Independent and Liberal, however in 2010 the final 2PP count included Independent and Nationals

Key dates

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Terms are fixed at four years. Elections occur in line with the fixed term provisions laid out in the Electoral Act 2002.[11]

Key dates for the election were:[12]

  • 2 November: Dissolution of Parliament and lodgement of election writs
  • 9 November: Close of rolls
  • 11 November: Close of nominations for party candidates
  • 12 November: Close of nominations for independents
  • 15 November: Early voting commences
  • 25 November: Close of postal voting
  • 26 November: Early voting closes
  • 27 November: Election day (polls open 8am to 6pm)

Polling

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Polling conducted by Newspoll and published in The Australian is performed via random telephone number selection in city and country areas. Sampling sizes usually consist of over 1000 electors, with the declared margin of error at ±3 percent.

Better Premier ratings^
Labor
Brumby
Liberal
Baillieu
2010 election
23 – 25 Nov 2010 48% 38%
9 – 11 Nov 2010 50% 36%
Sep – Oct 2010 49% 31%
Jul – Aug 2010 52% 27%
May – Jun 2010 47% 31%
Mar – Apr 2010 49% 29%
Jan – Feb 2010 51% 29%
Nov – Dec 2009 54% 26%
Sep – Oct 2009 52% 27%
Jul – Aug 2009 52% 27%
May – Jun 2009 54% 21%
Jan – Feb 2009 54% 22%
Nov – Dec 2008 49% 27%
Sep – Oct 2008 45% 27%
Jul – Aug 2008 48% 26%
May – Jun 2008 51% 28%
Mar – Apr 2008 49% 23%
Jan – Feb 2008 48% 25%
Nov – Dec 2007 51% 22%
Sep – Oct 2007 51% 25%
2006 election
22 – 23 Nov 2006 53%1 30%
Polling conducted by Newspoll
and published in The Australian.
1 Steve Bracks.
^ Remainder were "uncommitted" to either leader.
Legislative Assembly (lower house) opinion polling
Primary vote 2PP vote
ALP LIB NAT GRN OTH ALP L/NP
2010 election 36.3% 38.0% 6.7% 11.2% 7.8% 48.4% 51.6%
23 – 25 Nov 2010 33% 40% 5% 15% 7% 48.9% 51.1%
9 – 11 Nov 2010 37% 39% 5% 14% 5% 51% 49%
Sep – Oct 2010 35% 36% 4% 19% 6% 52% 48%
Jul – Aug 2010 38% 32% 4% 17% 9% 55% 45%
May – Jun 2010 34% 36% 4% 18% 8% 51% 49%
Mar – Apr 2010 37% 38% 3% 14% 8% 52% 48%
Jan – Feb 2010 39% 36% 3% 14% 8% 54% 46%
Nov – Dec 2009 41% 32% 3% 14% 10% 57% 43%
Sep – Oct 2009 43% 32% 3% 15% 7% 57% 43%
Jul – Aug 2009 43% 35% 2% 12% 8% 56% 44%
May – Jun 2009 42% 34% 3% 14% 7% 56% 44%
Jan – Feb 2009 46% 31% 2% 15% 6% 60% 40%
Nov – Dec 2008 45% 34% 3% 13% 5% 57% 43%
Sep – Oct 2008 37% 37% 4% 15% 7% 51% 49%
Jul – Aug 2008 41% 34% 4% 12% 9% 54% 46%
May – Jun 2008 41% 35% 3% 14% 7% 55% 45%
Mar – Apr 2008 44% 33% 3% 12% 8% 58% 42%
Jan – Feb 2008 43% 34% 3% 12% 8% 56% 44%
Nov – Dec 2007 51% 31% 3% 9% 6% 60% 40%
Sep – Oct 2007 49% 36% 4% 6% 5% 56% 44%
2006 election 43.1% 34.4% 5.2% 10.0% 7.3% 54.4% 45.6%
22 – 23 Nov 2006 45% 32% 5% 9% 9% 56% 44%
Polling conducted by Newspoll and published in The Australian.

Sky News exit polls in marginal seats recorded a Coalition 54-46 Labor result.[13]

Newspaper endorsements

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Dailies   Sundays
Newspaper Endorsement Newspaper Endorsement
The Age Labor[14] The Sunday Age Labor[15]
The Australian Labor[16] The Weekend Australian
The Australian Financial Review Labor[17]
Herald Sun Labor[18] Sunday Herald Sun Labor[19]

References

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  1. ^ Speaker decides against Ivanhoe by-election, ABC News, 14 September 2010.
  2. ^ Best, Catherine (11 February 2008). "Coalition reunites in Victoria". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  3. ^ "Greens still hopeful of winning seats". Abc.net.au. 2 October 1980. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  4. ^ Staff Writers (10 June 2015). "Myki system a failure, urgent action needed". GovNews. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Operational Effectiveness of the myki Ticketing System" (PDF).
  6. ^ Austin, Paul (16 December 2010). "The figures point to electoral wilderness for Victorian Labor". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Baillieu sworn in as Premier". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  8. ^ 5 Minutes 10 Minutes. "Daniel Andrews new Victorian Labor leader". Theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Upper house summary". ABC. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  10. ^ "Coalition wins Upper House majority". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 December 2010.
  11. ^ "Section 63, Electoral Act 2002". Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  12. ^ "2010 Victorian state election information: VEC". Vec.vic.gov.au. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  13. ^ "'Swing is on' as voters turn against Labor: ABC News 27 November 2010". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  14. ^ "Leaders have delivered a choice between clear alternatives". Melbourne: The Age. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  15. ^ "Labor? Liberal? What difference would it make?". Melbourne: The Sunday Age. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  16. ^ "The compelling case for a vote against complacency". The Australian. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  17. ^ "Brumby earns another term". The Australian Financial Review. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  18. ^ "A tight contest between clones". Herald Sun. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  19. ^ "Victoria deserves strong leadership from next state government". Sunday Herald Sun. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2010.