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| Australian federal election, 2016
Division of Batman, Victoria
Northern Melbourne: Northcote, Preston, Reservoir, Thornbury
Sitting member: Hon David Feeney (Labor), Senator 2008-13, elected 2013
Enrolment at close of rolls: 108,942
2013 Labor majority over Liberal 21.0%
2013 Labor majority over Greens: 10.6%
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Candidates in ballot-paper order:
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1. Philip Sutton
Independent |
2. Maurice Oldis
Renewable Energy Party |
3. Joel Murray
Australian Sex Party |
4. Alex Bhathal
Australian Greens |
5. Russell Hayward
Australian Progressives |
6. Geoffrey Cicuto
Australian Cyclists Party |
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7. George Souris
Liberal Party |
8. Hon David Feeney
Australian Labor Party |
9. Caitlin Evans
Animal Justice Party |
10. Franco Guardini
Independent |
11. Elizabeth Syber
Marriage Equality |
2013 results
Statistics and history
Batman was created in 1906, when the old seat of Northern Melbourne was renamed, and since 1910 has elected a non-Labor member only twice, in the UAP landslide year of 1931
and in 1966, when the sitting Labor member was expelled and retained the seat as an independent. Since the 1970s boundary changes have extended the seat to the north, making it
even safer for Labor. It is one of the most heavily "ethnic" and solidly working-class seats in Australia, with nearly 30% born in non English speaking countries. In recent years
the southern part of the seat around Northcote has become increasingly gentrified, and its loyalties have shifted from Labor to the Greens. Labor is fortunate
that the Greens have so little support in the northern half of the seat.
Brian Howe, who won Batman in 1977, was a stalwart of the Socialist Left, a senior minister in the Hawke and Keating governments and Deputy Prime Minister from 1991 to 1995. He
was succeeded in 1996 by former ACTU President Martin Ferguson, who was a senior minister in the Rudd-Gillard Government. Ferguson was officially a member of the Left but took an
independent line on many issues. He retired in 2013.
David Feeney, a Labor Senator for Victoria from 2008 to 2013 and MP for Batman since 2013, worked for the TWU and was Victorian State Secretary and Assistant National Secretary
of the Labor Party before his election to the Senate in 2007. He was one of the organisers of the party-room coup against Kevin Rudd in 2010, and was a Parliamentary Secretary in
the Gillard Government. When it became clear he could not be re-elected to the Senate from the number 3 position on the Labor ticket, he shifted to the House. He is currently
Shadow Minister for Justice, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence and Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs.
Although Batman is the safest Labor seat in Australia in two-party terms, the Greens have come second at the last two elections. In 2013 Feeney's majority over the Greens was a
healthy 10.6%, but that was because the Liberals, who came third, directed their preferences to Labor. Although only 63% of Liberal voters followed their party's instructions,
that was enough to keep Labor safe. In 2010, when the Liberals directed their preferences to the Greens, 80% of Liberals followed their party's card. If this had happened in
2013, Feeney would probably not have won the seat. The Greens majority, however, would have been less than 1%.
At this election, Victorian Liberal Party President Michael Kroger wanted to reach an agreement with the Greens to swap preferences, but was overruled by Prime Minister
Turnbull, meaning that Liberal preferences will again be directed to Feeney. Although the result will be close, this will probably be enough for Labor to hold the seat.
Feeney attracted unfavourable publicity early in the campaign when it was revealed that he had not declared a home that he and his wife own in Northcote, and then compounded the damage with an
inept interview on Sky News. While this attracted much attention among the political class, its impact in Preston and Reservoir was no doubt much less, and will
diminish further by polling day. The Greens candidate in 2016 will be Alex Bhathal, who also ran in 2004, 2010 and 2013. The Liberal candidate is George Souris, a sales manager who
also stood in 2013.
* Disclosure: I am a former staffer with David Feeney.
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Prospective pendulum, showing all candidates
State and territory maps, showing new boundaries
The thirty seats that will decide the election
Other seats of interest
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