Bellarine Times
Tuesday 30 November 2010
VOL 3. No 48
www.bellarinetimes.com.au
FREE WEEKLY
Dan Kelly and his ‘Dream Band’ entertained thousands with their hyper-narrative and melodic indie rock at Queenscliff Music Festival over the weekend. Turn to Pages 12, 13, 90 and 91 for more photos from the Bellarine’s massive weekend of music. Photo: PETER MARSHALL
CLOSE CALL The now marginal seat of Bellarine remains too close to call in the 2010 Victorian state election, despite an early lead by sitting member, Lisa Neville
BY ALISON MARTIN AS COUNTING continued yesterday, neither Member for Bellarine, Lisa Neville, or Liberal candidate, Kurt Reiter, were prepared to concede or claim victory in what has become a marginal seat. The Liberal-National Coalition looked set to form government yesterday after a majority of pre-poll votes was counted – and Neville appeared set to join her fellow re-elected Labor Party MPs on the Opposition bench. However, with pre-poll and absentee votes not expected to be fully counted for several days, Reiter refused to concede until the last ballots were in. He has also confirmed – win or lose – that he will stand again at the 2014 state election, after achieving
Surf Forecast
a 6.1 per cent swing in the voting centre count and making up even more ground with pre-polling. The margin between the ALP and Coalition had been 7.9 per cent at the last election. “It’s looking so close, it could be several days before we know… all the absentee votes still have to come in from across the state,” Reiter said. “Either way – mission accomplished – I achieved what I set out to do: make Bellarine count.” Neville said yesterday, although pre-polls and absentee votes were still being counted, the figures were going her way and she was hopeful of keeping the seat. “But there’s no doubt, the trend across the state was also played out in Bellarine,” she said. “If we are in opposition – which is the more
likely scenario – I will be as vigorous supporter and advocate for the Bellarine community as I have been in the past. “I will be holding the new government accountable for those commitments and making sure they are upheld.” Neville also planned to push for “critical projects” that were on the ALP list of pre-election promises, including the Ocean Grove Shell Road Sporting Complex, the Potato Shed, Leopold Community Hub and Portarlington Primary School. “We can’t deliver our commitments because they were all made dependant on us being re-elected but I’ll keep working hard and fighting to get the financial support that the major projects on the Bellarine will need,” she said.
On the other side of the Barwon River, the result was more clear cut, with former Member for South Barwon, Michael Crutchfield, conceding on Saturday night. Crutchfield appears to have paid the price for the government’s unpopular planning decision on the Barwon Heads Bridge, losing his seat to Liberal candidate, Andrew Katos. Voters at the Barwon Heads polling booth registered 797 votes for Katos, 364 votes for Crutchfield and 277 votes for Greens candidate, Simon Northeast. Down the road at Breamlea, the votes were more equally divided but significant swings at other South Barwon booths secured the seat for Katos early in the count.
WED 3-5ft inconsistent, E/SE 18° THU 3-4ft+ easing, E/SE 23° FRI 1-3ft small N/NE 23° SAT 1-2ft+ tiny N/NW 22°
PAGE
107
ONGOING STORE SPECIALS Wishing all our customers a safe and Merry Christmas 61-63 Murradoc M Road, Drysdale
PH 5253 1855