Regardless of Australia’s hung parliament verdict, reelected Labor member for Calwell in Victoria, Maria Vamvakinou, said the positive overall results in her electorate and in Victoria indicate approval from the voting public.
“What it does is reaffirm what I’ve often said about Victoria in terms of it being a more progressive and enlightened state but in my electorate in particular I think that it shows that people have been very receptive and it’s a tick of approval I think for some of the major issues that the federal government pursued,” she said.
These issues include investments in the Calwell electorate’s education sector, with $9.5 million in infrastructure funding for a global learning centre in Craigieburn, and support for the manufacturing and industry sector.
“The federal government put a lot of money into supporting these industries, especially the car industry, that has on the ground translated into supporting and upholding jobs and curbing job losses,” she said.
Calwell also secured a super clinic in Hume, which Ms Vamvakinou said is important due to the ageing population and young families in the electorate.
Calwell, which has a huge mortgage base and lots of young families, also responded positively in this election to the ways in which Labor handled the global financial crisis, Ms Vamvakinou said.
“Despite what everyone says the realities are the government handled the Australian economy well during what was a bit of a disaster for everybody else. People didn’t lose their homes and they didn’t lose their jobs and I think that people have responded accordingly,” she said.
The hung parliament verdict is something everyone can reflect on, Ms Vamvakinou said. “People couldn’t make up their minds or didn’t make up their minds, they probably found both parties perhaps wanting and it is always important to reflect on those things,” she said.
Reelected for a third term in the Labor seat of Hindmarsh in South Australia, Steve Georganas said this election campaign has emphasised that hard work pays off.
“We’ve worked extremely hard at it the last six years, assisting and helping people, and one lesson you really do learn is that it does pay off in two ways; firstly you get great satisfaction out of helping people and secondly people recognise that when they go to the ballot paper,” he said.
Mr Georganas said his biggest focus now will be to ensure he delivers on campaign promises, noting the King St bridge in Glenelg, Surf Central, and CCTV in Glenelg’s Mosley square as the largest projects on the upcoming agenda.
The current state of parliament means forming government with some of the independents is a reality everyone has to accept, Mr Georganas said.
“The Australian voters always get it right,” he said, adding “on this occasion they’ve deemed that we have a parliament that will be made up of some independents that will form government”.
“I’m not critical of the way people voted… the independents have every right to be elected and our government is always formed via the parliament. We’ll just have to do the best we can to accommodate the wishes of the voters who put all these people in parliament,” he said.
Neos Kosmos approached the office of reelected Liberal member for Indi, in Victoria, Sophie Mirabella, but did not receive a response.