By Kirsty Ross
A SWING of almost 25 per cent is required to defeat Lynne Kosky in Altona, one of the safest Labor seats in the state.
The seat was created in the 1992 redistribution and since then has been held by Labor.
Ms Kosky, who is Minister for Education and Training, said she would focus on continuing to work as hard as possible for the “vibrant, diverse and strong community” if re-elected.
“As always, I have again been impressed by the enthusiasm and engagement of the people of the Altona electorate,” she said.
There are about 8000 more voters in the high growth area since the last election, with 42,000 from Altona, Altona Meadows, Laverton, Seaholme and Hoppers Crossing are expected to vote this Saturday.
Candidates for the seat include Greens candidate Andreas Bischof, the Liberal Party’s Ian Soylemez and Family First’s David Bernard.
Altona recorded a swing to the Liberal Party in 1996 but has increased its Labor margin by more than 15 per cent over the past two elections.
The Liberal Party was second out of three candidates at the last election, holding more than 22 per cent of the vote, while the Greens scored almost nine per cent.
None of the contenders in the 2002 election decided to run again but a new party has since emerged.
Family First’s Mr Bernard has been the most vocal of all candidates, writing letters to the editor sometimes several times a week.
The 46-year-old Hoppers Crossing resident described the party as “neither left, nor right – we’re in the middle”.
He is a former teacher who runs an Australia-wide tutoring company, and said he has his “finger on the pulse” with what parents want.
Born and bred in Sunshine, Mr Soylemez, 33, said the West is too often neglected.
The father-of-two, who works in the eastern suburbs as an infrastructure contract manager for a local council, believes the West luck’s out when comparing schools and infrastructure.
Mr Bischof, who lives in Altona Meadows has been an SES volunteer longer than he has been a member of the Greens, but earns his keep by working as a customer service adviser for Centrelink.
His passion is helping out the community and is confident people in the Altona district are fed up with Labor.
