VOTERS in the electorate of Bendigo have given Labor’s Lisa Chesters a further three years as their representative in the Australian parliament.
Ms Chesters secured a resounding victory for her party in the election, but will remain on the opposition benches after the Scott Morrison-led coalition surprised most commentators by inching out the ALP to win a third term in office.
Ms Chesters now sits on an impressive 9.02 per cent margin, having achieved approximately 17,000 more votes than Liberal Sam Gayed on a two-candidate preferred basis.
It’s the largest margin Ms Chesters has enjoyed since she won the seat in 2013 upon the retirement of the veteran Steve Gibbons.
Since her pre-selection in 2013, Ms Chesters has seen off Greg Bickley, Megan Purcell and now Mr Gayed.
She achieved a two-candidate preferred swing of just over 5.15 per cent at this election, and in some southern booths around the Macedon Ranges she received double-digit swings of up to 16 per cent in a resounding endorsement.
Ms Chesters received 41,345 first preferences from voters, Mr Gayed 29,959, while Greens candidate Robert Holian received 9948 votes, or about 10.6 per cent of the primary votes allocated.
Minor party candidates split more than 13 per cent of the vote, with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Vaughan Williams receiving 5693 or 6.07 per cent.
Mr Gayed’s best results came from booths at Axedale, Elmore and Junortoun where he outpolled his rival candidates.
Almost 39,000 voters took advantage of early voting centres at Bendigo, Golden Square and Castlemaine to vote prior to Saturday.
The informal vote of 3.75 per cent was down on the previous election.