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Eight candidates for by-election
Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au
EIGHT candidates have put their hands up to run in the upcoming Dunkley by-election.
Women’s Spirit Project founder Jodie Belyea will contest the seat for Labor. Frankston mayor Nathan Conroy will seek to win it for the Liberals.
Alex Breskin is the Greens’ candidate. The Greens returned a strong first preference vote of more than 10 percent at the 2022 federal election, and their preferences may prove influential this time. Chrysten Abraham is running for the Libertarian Party, Heath McKenzie for the Australian Democrats, Bronwyn Currie for the Animal Justice Party, and Reem Yunis for the Victorian Socialists. After failed tilts for both Dunkley and the state seat of Frankston in 2022, conspiracy theorist Darren Bergwerf has chosen to run again as an independent.
The ballot paper positions were drawn in Carrum Downs last Friday. Conroy got the luck of the draw - his name will appear at the top of the ballot while Belyea will be at the bottom.
Early voting starts on 19 February, and postal vote applications close on 28 February. The by-election will take place on Saturday, 2 March.
Dunkley has been held by the Labor Party since 2019, but was a Liberal seat for more than 20 years before that. Peta Murphy won the seat for Labor in 2019, defeating first-term Liberal MP Chris Crewther. Liberal Bruce Billson was the member for Dunkley for 20 years before Crewther.
Murphy comfortably retained the seat at the 2022 federal election - the Liberals ran barrister and former Survivor contestant Sharn Coombes.
Murphy died of metastatic breast cancer in December 2023, which triggered the by-election. The election date was locked in after the Christmas break.
National attention is focused on the outcome of the by-election. The Albanese government won the Aston by-election in 2023, but has since been hurt by the defeat of the Voice referendum. The by-election will also serve as a test of Labor’s proposed changes to stage three tax cuts.
Despite a 6.3 percent margin in Labor’s favour, campaigners from both parties believe the seat is winnable. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton have both visited the electorate on multiple occasions to spruik their candidates and policies since the start of the year.
