By Molly Magennis
Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong residents will be voting in the seats of Gellibrand and Fraser at the May 21 federal election, but who exactly will you be putting your vote towards?
Star Weekly breaks down what you need to be aware of before you head to the polls on May 21.
The Gellibrand electorate, currently held by Labor’s Tim Watts, takes in Hobsons Bay, while Maribyrnong residents are in the Fraser electorate, which is held by Daniel Mulino.
Both electorated were redistributed in 2021.
Mr Watts was first elected as Gellibrand MP in 2013.
If Labor is elected, Mr Watts has made a number of promises for the residents of Gellibrand, including a community battery in Altona intended to cut electricity bills, and a $500,000 upgrade to the women’s change room facilities at Downer Oval Williamstown.
Monica Clark has been endorsed by the Liberal Party as the candidate for Gellibrand, having worked as a lawyer for the past 20 years.
Also contesting the election in Gellibrand are Suzette Rodoredo (Greens), Sharynn Moors (Australian Federation Party), Andrew Charles (Victorian Socialists), Abraham Isac (United Australia Party), Chloe Glasson (Liberal Democratic Party) and Rob Braddock (One Nation).
Mr Mulino won the seat of Fraser when it was first contested in 2019.
He will be running again in 2022 alongside the Liberal’s David Wood, Anthony Cursio (Liberal Democratic Party), Bella Mitchell-Sears (Greens), Keith Raymond (United Australia Party), Sabine de Pyle (One Nation) and Catherine Robertson (Victorian Socialists).
Monash University senior politics lecturer Dr Zareh Ghazarian said with Gellibrand and Fraser both being double digit Labor safe seats (13 per cent and 18.1 per cent respectively), it would be highly unlikely Mr Watts or Mr Mulino will lose at the upcoming election.
“If Labor loses either of these seats at the election, then it is an absolute disaster for the Labor party,” he said.
“We can see that there are some well resourced parties, in particular [the] Clive Palmer led United Australia Party, but based on the previous election, they didn’t do too well across the country. It’s hard to see any of these challengers pick up seats, especially seats like Gellibrand or Fraser.
“This is going to be the test of whether there is a bit of a mood for change and whether voters are going…. to vote for other parties’ candidates or independents as a bit of a protest to what the major parties have been doing.”
