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IT may have been one of the electorate’s smallest booths, but for the Greens, winning their first town was a cause for celebration.
Guildford delivered the Greens their first ever booth – by just four votes.
Rosemary Glaisher won 106 votes, compared to 102 for Lisa Chesters and 88 for Megan Purcell.
The win reflected a positive trend for the Greens, which increased its primary vote by 1.5 per cent from the 2013 election, achieving 10.8 per cent. Despite the positive result, they were below the Greens vote of 12.3 per cent at the 2010 election.
Their primary vote was also in the mid-to-high 20s in Castlemaine’s five booths, including beating the Liberals at Castlemaine North, Chewton and Winters Flat.
Ms Glaisher said it was a positive result for the Greens.
“People are saying it’s the first time we’ve had the highest vote in a booth in Bendigo,” she said.
“At the moment, with the policies of the Labor Party, we were quite happy to be able to help them win the seat. Their policies tend to be more progressive than the Liberals.”
The Mount Alexander Greens were active in the electorate’s southern communities, and a sustainability forum in Castlemaine was well attended, with more than 150 people in the audience.
On the other hand, a sustainability forum in Bendigo only have 35 attendees.
Ms Glaisher said breaking Labor’s stronghold in Bendigo would be a tough task for any party.
“It’s frustrating because our policies are more progressive than Labor’s,” she said.
“In Bendigo, you tend to have a large amount of Labor families – people who will vote for a party regardless of their policies.
“The Greens always wish people vote based on their understanding of policies.”
The 2013 election attracted 13 candidates for Bendigo, compared to eight this year, meaning the Greens and other smaller parties had a greater chance of increasing their primary vote.
Support varies for minor parties
Beyond the Greens, the picture was mixed for Bendigo’s other minor parties. The Nationals struggled, but Rise Up Australia increased its vote.
The Nationals primary vote decreased from 5 per cent in 2013, to 3.5 per cent in 2016.
Family First candidate Alan Howard increased his primary vote from 1.1 per cent in 2013, to 2.8 per cent this time around.
Anita Donlon ran as the Palmer United Party candidate in 2013, when she won 2.5 per cent of the first preference vote in Bendigo. This time, she came last, with 1.9 per cent of the vote.
Rise Up Australia’s primary vote was just 0.5 per cent in 2013. Their candidate Sandra Caddy increased that vote to 2.2 per cent in 2016.
Bendigo primary vote (2013 to 2016):
Labor: 36.6% (2013), 38.7% (2016) +2.1
Liberal: 39.7% (2013), 37.9% (2016) -1.77
Greens: 9.3% (2013), 10.8% (2016) +1.53
Nationals: 5% (2013), 3.5% (2016) -1.5
Family First: 1.1% (2013), 2.8% (2016) +1.7
Rise Up Australia: 0.5% (2013), 2.2% (2016) +1.6
Animal Justice Party: no candidate 2013, 2.1% (2016), +2.1
Anita Donlon: 2.5% (2013, as PUP candidate), 1.9% (2016) -0.6