It would be hard to find a safer seat for Labor than the Melbourne electorate of Batman. Formerly held by Martin Ferguson, it’s been Labor for all but two terms since 1910, and to most observers this is no-man’s-land for the Liberals.
Not that George Souris would agree. Souris – who grew up in Sydney and comes from an export and business sales background – fought and lost decisively as the Libs candidate in 2010, but this time he feels things could be different.
“The reception I’m getting now compared to then is chalk and cheese,” he says.
“The difference this time around is people have had enough. They’ve had enough of the increases in the cost of living, the country living beyond its means, and the way this minority government has ruined the country.”
In 2010, the Greens beat Souris to second place, and with the Liberals preferencing the Greens last time around, Labor’s victory margin was almost 8 per cent.
If Greens preferences had been distributed, Labor would have won with a massive 24.8 per cent two-party preferred margin over the Libs. It’s a hurdle that will take some jumping.
The signs in 2013 should be discouraging for Souris, despite the upbeat polling results for the Coalition.
Ironically, with Tony Abbott recommending preferences against the Greens, the likelihood is that will produce a further swing towards Labor – even if the Greens were to maintain second place.
But if the feedback Souris is getting on the street is anything to go by, could an upset be on the cards?
“We’ve been out there for the last three and a half months on a daily basis, talking to people, door-knocking, doing the whole lot,” he says.
“I’m seeing people saying ‘it’s time, we want a change’.
“I believe I’ll be taking votes from Labor and the Greens. Just today a Greens voter came up to me and said ‘I’ve never voted Liberal but I want to give you a go.’.
“I’m feeling confident that we’ll win more votes than in the past, but how many more, I don’t know.”
Could one of the biggest upsets in the history of federal politics see Batman turn blue? We’ll see next weekend. Stranger things have happened.