Labor’s Kat Theophanous has managed to hold onto the seat of Northcote, but the count went down to the wire with the incumbent retaining her position by a mere 184 votes.
Theophanous took to Facebook to announce her appointment to the role of Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Health and to confirm, noting hesitation due to the closeness of the call, that the VEC had verified her success in the election.
“I’m incredibly excited for this next chapter, for what we will deliver for Northcote, and for a new role in a policy area that I care so deeply about,” she said.
Speculation by election analysts suggested that the Greens’ candidate Campbell Gome, a local primary school teacher stood a real chance of unseating Theophanous; despite a 9.5 per cent negative swing from 2018.
On a strategic level, the Victorian Greens seemed to lean most heavily on their campaign efforts in the electorates of Northcote, Albert Park and Richmond where community sentiment is generally favourable.
In the end, only the seat of Richmond was secured as a new acquisition for the party, with the election as a whole proving to be a resounding victory for the ALP.
Speaking with ABC radio’s Rafael Epstein Tuesday evening, Theophanous was frank about the closeness of the contest.
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster,” she told Epstein “the prepoll numbers that came in on election night were strongly in our favour, though as the count continued over the following days and the postal and absentee votes started coming in the margin narrowed dramatically”.
Premier Daniel Andrews made three separate visits to Northcote during the campaign. When quizzed on whether this had a notable impact on votes, Theophanous said that her track record in the electorate was instead the defining factor.
“We had a strong record of achievement and a positive plan for the future. That’s not abstract… its real,” she explained.
“School and kinder upgrades, level crossings gone, a new Chandler Highway, new sports facilities, parks and playgrounds and critical health and social services,” Theophanous told Neos Kosmos.
“It’s more opportunities, more support and more sustainability. Key reforms like free kinder, a new mental health system and world leading climate action,” she said.
“That’s what put us in good stead with a strong primary vote against a tough flow of preferences from minor parties.”
This electoral contest was especially tense in the inner northern suburb. Allegations of sabotage and actions taken in bad faith littered airwaves, screens and print.
Theophanous and Victorian Labor accused the “Greens dominated” Darebin council of removing her candidate billboards. The matter was referred to the supreme court.
Even as it was settled, Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam refuted claims of upper echelon involvement, saying “when Labor gets desperate, they get dirty.”
For more on that story, click here.
Early last month Ratnam issued a statement urging the Federal Government to take the step of formally recognising the Armenian Genocide, citing its importance for the descendants of the 1.5 million Armenians killed under the Ottomans; also highlighting the million Greeks and Assyrians who suffered the same persecution.
Campbell Gome met with representatives from the Armenian National Committee of Australia, the Australian Hellenic Council and the Assyrian National Council sharing Ratnam’s statement on Armenia.
Peter Stefanidis, president of the Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia praised Gome in a message of thanks saying:
“The Greens are trailblazers in Victoria and have laid the groundwork for justice not only for Armenian and Greek victims but that of the First Nations people of Australia. I hope that the new Victorian Parliament will follow the Greens’ lead and formally recognise the Armenian genocide.”
The Age reported on 5 December that Gome had retracted his concession to Theophanous in light of the race’s closeness owing to the tally of absentee votes. Gome however clarified on social media the following day that his concession still stood, congratulating his opponent on her victory.
“I congratulate Kat Theophanous on her re-election and thank all the volunteers who contributed their hours and energy to my campaign.”