Bendigo East and West’s micro-party candidates are broadly happy with their campaigns and are waiting to see how the battle for influence in Victoria’s upper house pans out.
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Among them is the Animal Justice Party’s Marilyn Nuske, who said her party has a chance of landing a seat in the upper house.
Ms Nuske ran in the lower house’s Bendigo West district, where she took 5.98 per cent of first preferences.
The party yesterday said in a statement on Facebook that it had 12 district with over four per cent of first preferences – enough to be eligible for electoral funding. It also had six districts with more than six per cent of the vote.
The Victorian Electoral Commission is yet to finalise counts for the upper house, but the Animal Justice Party is keeping an eye on Western Victoria, where it believes Andy Meddick could get up.
The election was the first in which the Animal Justice Party had fielded a Bendigo West candidate, Ms Nuske said, and there were lessons it would take away. She said it was “unfortunate” her nomination had not taken place sooner so that she could have had a greater lead in and taken part in more forums.
The Democratic Labour Party’s Bendigo East candidate Helen Leach was surprised voters did not punish Daniel Andrews for the red shirts controversy and law and order, instead flocking to his party in greater numbers.
The former Bendigo councillor was happy with her 2.17 per cent of the Bendigo East primary vote, given it was clear the party was fairly unknown among voters she spoke to outside polling booths.
“I cannot compete with the spending or promises of Labor and Jacinta (Allan), even if most of it (the Australian Labor Party platform) was rubbish,” Ms Leach said.
Democratic Labour Party candidates would convene next week to debrief following the election, Ms Leach said.
Any plans to run a Bendigo candidate at the federal election were yet to be determined, she said, though she ruled herself out from a tilt.
The Animal Justice Party would likely be a presence in upcoming elections, Ms Nuske said, including the next federal poll.
“The Animal Justice Party is not going away. We are only going to be stronger as a consequence of this election,” she said.
The VEC continued counting on Monday in a range of lower and upper house seats.
Counting for upper house regions is expected to continue through the week, with rechecks to commence on Tuesday.
The process is expected to finish in early December.
Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
