Victorian state election, 2018

2018 Victorian state election
← 2014 24 November 2018 2022 →
All 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
All 40 seats in the Victorian Legislative Council
45 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
Information below is for the Assembly election.
Opinion polls
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Daniel Andrews Matthew Guy Samantha Ratnam
Party Labor Liberal/National Coalition Greens
Leader since 3 December 2010 4 December 2014 12 October 2017
Leader's seat Mulgrave Bulleen MLC for Northern
Metropolitan
Last election 47 seats 38 seats 2 seats
Seats before 45 37 3
Seats won 55 27 3
Seat change Increase 10 Decrease 10 Steady
First preference vote 1,506,460 1,236,912 376,470
Percentage 42.86% 35.20% 10.71%
Swing Increase 4.77 Decrease 6.80 Decrease 0.77
TPP 57.30% 42.70%
TPP swing Increase 5.31 Decrease 5.31
Results in each electorate.
Premier before election

Daniel Andrews
Labor

Premier after election

Daniel Andrews
Labor

The 2018 Victorian state election was held on Saturday, 24 November 2018 to elect the 59th Parliament of Victoria. All 88 seats in the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and all 40 seats in the Legislative Council (upper house) were up for election. The first-term incumbent Labor government, led by Premier Daniel Andrews, won a second four-year term, defeating the Liberal/National Coalition opposition, led by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy[1] in a landslide victory. Minor party the Greens led by Samantha Ratnam also contested the election.

Labor won 55 seats in the 88-seat Legislative Assembly, an increase of eight seats from the previous election in 2014, and a majority of 22 seats. This was the fifth time that a Labor government was re-elected in Victoria, and it tied Victorian Labor's second-best showing at the state level. The Coalition suffered an 11-seat swing against it, and won 27 seats. The Greens won 3 seats, a net increase of 1 seat since the last election though equal to the share of seats they held when the election was called. The remaining three seats on the crossbench were won by independents.[2] In the Legislative Council, Labor won 18 seats, three short of a majority. The Coalition won 11 seats, and the remaining 11 seats were won by a range of minor parties from across the political spectrum.[2]

Several days after Labor's victory, the Second Andrews Ministry was sworn in by the Governor and was notable for featuring an equal number of men and women.[3] The following week the Liberal Party elected Michael O'Brien leader of the party, who became Opposition Leader in the new parliament, after Guy had announced earlier he would stand down from the position.[4]

For the election, Victoria had compulsory voting and used majoritarian preferential voting in single-member seats for the Legislative Assembly, and Single transferable vote (STV) in multi-member seats for the proportionally represented Legislative Council. The Legislative Council had 40 members serving four-year terms, elected from eight electoral regions each with five members. With each region electing 5 members, the quota in each region for election, after distribution of preferences, was 16.7% (one-sixth) of the valid votes cast in that district. The election was conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), an independent body answerable to parliament.

Key dates

Pursuant to the Electoral Act 2002, Victoria has had fixed terms, with all elections since the 2006 election held every four years on the last Saturday of November.[5][6] The incumbent government entered into caretaker mode at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, 30 October 2018, when writs were officially issued.[7]

Key dates for the election are:[8][9]

  • 30 October: Writs issued by the Governor of Victoria
  • 31 October: Opening of nominations for all candidates
  • 6 November: Close of electoral roll
  • 8 November: Close of nominations for party candidates
  • 9 November: Close of nominations for independent candidates
  • 12 November: Early voting begins
  • 24 November: Election day (polls open 8am to 6pm)
  • 30 November: Last day for receipt of postal votes
  • 15 December: Last day for return of writs.

Previous parliament

Main article: 2014 Victorian state election

Legislative Assembly

Following the 2014 election, Labor formed majority government with 47 seats. The Coalition held 38 seats, with the Liberal Party holding 30 and the National Party holding 8. On the crossbench, the Greens held 2 seats and Independent Suzanna Sheed held the seat of Shepparton.

Legislative Council

Following the 2014 election, Labor held 14 seats; the Coalition held 16 seats (14 Liberal, 2 National); the Greens held 5 seats; the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party held 2 seats; and the Sex Party (now the Reason Party), Democratic Labour Party, and Vote 1 Local Jobs party held 1 seat each.

By-elections

Former Nationals leader Peter Ryan announced his resignation from parliament on 2 February 2015, triggering a by-election in the seat of Gippsland South for 14 March.[10] The election was won by Danny O'Brien of the National Party.

Denis Napthine and Terry Mulder resigned from parliament on 3 September 2015. Their seats were retained by the Liberal Party in by-elections held in South-West Coast and Polwarth on 31 October.

Minister for Women and Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence Fiona Richardson died on 23 August 2017. A by-election was held in the seat of Northcote on 18 November, in which the Victorian Greens won the seat from the Labor Party.

Changes in parliament

Don Nardella, the former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly and member for the seat of Melton, resigned from the Labor Party on 7 March 2017 to sit as an independent. Nardella's resignation was demanded by Premier Andrews after Nardella refused to pay back approximately $100,000 of taxpayer funded entitlements in the midst an expenses scandal. The resignation reduced the number of Labor members in the Assembly from 47 to 46, still above the 45 seats needed for majority government to be formed. Nardella had previously announced his intention to quit politics at the 2018 election and following his resignation from the Labor Party stated he intended to serve out his full term as the member for Melton.[11]

Russell Northe, the member for Morwell resigned from the National Party on 28 August 2017, due to mental health and financial issues, continuing in his position as an independent.[12]

Greg Barber resigned as Leader of the Greens and from his Northern Metropolitan Region seat on 28 September 2017, and was replaced in both by Moreland councillor Samantha Ratnam.[13]

Colleen Hartland, a Greens member of the Western Metropolitan Region, resigned on 8 February 2018,[14] and was replaced by Huong Truong.

State of electorates

Main article: 2014 Victorian state election

The following Mackerras pendulum lists seats in the Legislative Assembly according to the percentage point margin on a two candidate preferred basis based on the 2014 election results.[15] The Australian Electoral Commission considers a seat "safe" if it requires a swing of over 10% to change, "fairly safe" seats require a swing of between 6 and 10%, while "marginal" seats require a swing of less than 6%.[16]

Labor seats - 2014
Seat Member Party Margin
Marginal
Frankston Paul Edbrooke ALP 0.5%
Carrum Sonya Kilkenny ALP 0.7%
Bentleigh Nick Staikos ALP 0.8%
Richmond Richard Wynne ALP 1.9% v GRN
Mordialloc Tim Richardson ALP 2.1%
Brunswick Jane Garrett ALP 2.2% v GRN
Cranbourne Jude Perera ALP 2.3%
Eltham Vicki Ward ALP 2.7%
Albert Park Martin Foley ALP 3.0%
Ivanhoe Anthony Carbines ALP 3.4%
Yan Yean Danielle Green ALP 3.7%
Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas ALP 3.8%
Sunbury Josh Bull ALP 4.3%
Mulgrave Daniel Andrews ALP 4.5%
Narre Warren North Luke Donnellan ALP 4.6%
Bellarine Lisa Neville ALP 4.8%
Bendigo East Jacinta Allan ALP 5.0%
Monbulk James Merlino ALP 5.0%
Narre Warren South Judith Graley ALP 5.5%
Wendouree Sharon Knight ALP 5.8%
Fairly safe
Geelong Christine Couzens ALP 6.0%
Buninyong Geoff Howard ALP 6.4%
Niddrie Ben Carroll ALP 7.7%
Oakleigh Steve Dimopoulos ALP 8.2%
Essendon Danny Pearson ALP 8.7%
Safe
Melton Don Nardella ALP 11.2%
Keysborough Martin Pakula ALP 11.9%
Bendigo West Maree Edwards ALP 12.2%
Bundoora Colin Brooks ALP 12.2%
Altona Jill Hennessy ALP 12.6%
Dandenong Gabrielle Williams ALP 12.9%
Footscray Marsha Thomson ALP 14.5%
Tarneit Telmo Languiller ALP 14.6%
Werribee Tim Pallas ALP 15.7%
Clarinda Hong Lim ALP 15.8%
Sydenham Natalie Hutchins ALP 16.3%
Williamstown Wade Noonan ALP 16.5%
Pascoe Vale Lizzie Blandthorn ALP 16.8%
Lara John Eren ALP 17.1%
St Albans Natalie Suleyman ALP 17.5%
Yuroke Ros Spence ALP 18.5%
Mill Park Lily D'Ambrosio ALP 19.9%
Very safe
Kororoit Marlene Kairouz ALP 20.0%
Preston Robin Scott ALP 24.7%
Broadmeadows Frank McGuire ALP 27.8%
Thomastown Bronwyn Halfpenny ALP 28.4%
Coalition seats - 2014
Seat Member Party Margin
Marginal
Ripon Louise Staley LIB 0.8%
Morwell Russell Northe NAT 1.8%
South Barwon Andrew Katos LIB 2.9%
Burwood Graham Watt LIB 3.2%
Eildon Cindy McLeish LIB 3.8%
Bass Brian Paynter LIB 4.6%
Bayswater Heidi Victoria LIB 4.6%
Mount Waverley Michael Gidley LIB 4.6%
Forest Hill Neil Angus LIB 4.8%
Caulfield David Southwick LIB 4.9%
Ringwood Dee Ryall LIB 5.1%
Box Hill Robert Clark LIB 5.7%
Fairly safe
Sandringham Murray Thompson LIB 7.3%
Hastings Neale Burgess LIB 7.6%
Nepean Martin Dixon LIB 7.6%
Ferntree Gully Nick Wakeling LIB 7.8%
Mildura Peter Crisp NAT 8.0% v IND
Rowville Kim Wells LIB 8.4%
Hawthorn John Pesutto LIB 8.6%
Gembrook Brad Battin LIB 9.0%
Croydon David Hodgett LIB 9.3%
Evelyn Christine Fyffe LIB 9.6%
Benambra Bill Tilley LIB 9.7%
Brighton Louise Asher LIB 9.8%
Safe
Bulleen Matthew Guy LIB 10.6%
Kew Tim Smith LIB 10.6%
Polwarth Terry Mulder LIB 10.6%
South-West Coast Denis Napthine LIB 11.0%
Narracan Gary Blackwood LIB 11.3%
Warrandyte Ryan Smith LIB 11.6%
Mornington David Morris LIB 12.6%
Euroa Steph Ryan NAT 14.5%
Gippsland South Peter Ryan NAT 15.7%
Malvern Michael O'Brien LIB 16.3%
Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy NAT 16.6%
Gippsland East Tim Bull NAT 17.9%
Very safe
Lowan Emma Kealy NAT 21.3%
Murray Plains Peter Walsh NAT 22.4%
Crossbench seats - 2014
Prahran Sam Hibbins GRN 0.4% v LIB
Melbourne Ellen Sandell GRN 2.4% v ALP
Shepparton Suzanna Sheed IND 2.6% v NAT
Northcote Lidia Thorpe GRN 5.6% v ALP

Registered parties

At the close of nominations, there were 23 parties registered with the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), of which 21 contested the election:[17]

Candidates and retiring MPs

Main article: Candidates of the 2018 Victorian state election

Nominations of candidates opened on 31 October 2018. Nominations for party candidates closed on 8 November, and for independent candidates on 9 November.

A total of 887 candidates nominated for the election, down from 896 at the 2014 election. There were 507 candidates for the Legislative Assembly, the second-highest number on record, down from 545 in 2014. The 380 candidates for the Legislative Council was the highest number of upper house candidates in a Victorian election, up from 351 in 2014.[18]

Retiring MPs

Members who chose not to renominate are as follows:

Labor

Liberal

Independent

Disendorsed candidates

On 13 November, Neelam Rai, a Liberal candidate for Northern Metropolitan Region, withdrew her candidacy after the Herald Sun revealed that she was the director of an unregistered charity, No Hunger Australia. The Liberal Party also released a statement saying that Rai's nomination form for preselection had "failed to disclose a number of issues of relevance".[35]

On 15 November, the Liberal Party withdrew its endorsement of Meralyn Klein, their candidate for the marginal seat of Yan Yean, after footage emerged of her speaking in an anti-Muslim video produced by the Australian Liberty Alliance. Klein denied any association with the ALA, saying she had been interviewed about an incident where she had been assaulted several years earlier, and the footage had been provided to the ALA and edited into an anti-Muslim video.[36]

As ballot papers had already been printed, both Rai and Klein appeared as Liberal candidates. The Labor Party petitioned the Supreme Court to order the VEC to reprint the ballot papers with Klein's affiliation removed,[37] but the case was dismissed.[38]

On 22 November, two days before Election Day, the Greens ordered a then-unnamed candidate to withdraw from the campaign after an allegation of "serious sexual misconduct" was made.[39] The following day the party revealed the candidate in question was Dominic Phillips, candidate for the seat of Sandringham; he was stood down by the party.[40] As the ballot papers had already been printed, Phillips stood as the Greens candidate and won over 8% of the vote.

Issues

On 28 October both Labor and the Coalition launched their campaigns, with Labor making health, paramedics and improved ambulance response times a priority, while the Coalition focused on cutting taxes, better managing population growth and cracking down on crime.[41] Labor and the Coalition pledged $23.3 billion and $24.8 billion respectively, more than double pledged during the 2010 and 2014 elections, excluding the proposed Suburban Rail Loop and high speed rail for regional services which would require future governments to fund.[42] Labor pledged to invest substantially more money than the Coalition in health, with $1.3bn in promises to boost nursing numbers and $395.8m to provide every state school student with free dental check-ups and procedures and $232m to build seven new early parenting centres; in contrast to the Coalition whose signature health policy was constructing a new hospital in Warragul, the biggest city in the rapidly expanding West Gippsland region.[43]

The Coalition's leading message of the campaign was to "get back in control" of the state's allegedly burgeoning crime problem. The party promised tougher bail conditions than Labor, saying that anyone who breaches bail will be jailed. In addition mandatory sentencing would become more commonplace, with minimum sentences for repeat violent offenders and people deemed possible terror threats could be forced to wear electronic monitoring devices, a proposal made after the stabbing attack in the city which occurred during the campaign.[43] The divisions between the parties over social issues were pronounced, as the Coalition promised to axe the safe injecting room in Richmond, the Safe Schools program for LGBTI children in state secondary schools and the process for a formalised treaty for Indigenous Victorians.[44] The Coalition also promised to reinstate religious instruction classes in state schools, something removed from classes and made an opt-in process by Labor.[43]

Arguably the most pressing issue of the campaign was public transport and infrastructure. Melbourne's record population growth of more than 125,000 people a year made both party leaders focus on big transport initiatives. Labor unveiled a $50 billion underground rail loop of the suburbs surrounding the city, though admitted the project would not be completed before 2050 and actually pledged $300 million for a business study.[43] The Coalition instead proposed a $19 billion "European-style" regional rail network that would rebuild the entire network and include high-speed rail on four lines, travelling up to 200 km an hour.[43] Both parties agreed on the West Gate Tunnel, North East Link and Metro Rail projects, though the Coalition pledged to bring back the defunct East West Link project which was scrapped at a cost of $1 billion by the Labor Government.[43]

Minor party the Greens sought to expand their numbers in parliament and make further gains in inner-city/suburban seats held by Labor such as Albert Park, Brunswick and Richmond. The party proposed a dedicated bike "superlane" stretching 17 kilometres from Elsternwick railway station to Coburg, as well as further cycling routes connecting Box Hill and Richmond, Ringwood and Croydon and a connection from the Burwood Highway through to Knox and Deakin University.[45] Overall, most Greens policies were more closely aligned with Labor policies than the Coalition,[43] a fact acknowledged by Greens leader Samantha Ratnam who said she would seek to negotiate with Labor to form government in the event of a hung parliament.[46] Labor leader Daniel Andrews reacted negatively to this possibility saying "no deal will be offered" and criticising the Greens for allegedly "refusing to call out denigration of women", in reference to past sexist comments made by the Greens candidate for the seat of Footscray, Angus McAlpine.[47]

The total number of people who voted early in the last two weeks of the campaign was 1,639,202, which made up 40% of the eligible voting population.[48]

Polling

Main article: Opinion polling for the 2018 Victorian state election

Newspaper endorsements

Daily newspapers   Sunday newspapers   Alternative newspapers
Newspaper Endorsement Newspaper Endorsement Newspaper Endorsement
The Age Labor[49] The Sunday Age Labor[50] Green Left Weekly Socialists[51]
The Australian Liberal[52]
The Australian Financial Review Labor[53]
Herald Sun Liberal[54] Sunday Herald Sun Liberal[55]

Results

Legislative Assembly

See also: Results of the 2018 Victorian state election (Legislative Assembly); Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, 2018–2022; and Post-election pendulum for the 2018 Victorian state election
↓ 
55 3 3 6 21
ALP GRN IND NAT LIB
Winning party by electorate.
Legislative Assembly (IRV) – (CV)[56]
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Labor 1,506,460 42.86 +4.77 55 Increase 8
    Liberal 1,069,287 30.43 −6.04 21 Decrease 9
  National 167,625 4.77 −0.76 6 Decrease 2
Coalition total 1,236,912 35.19 −6.80 27 Decrease 11
  Greens 376,470 10.71 −0.77 3 Increase 1*
  Animal Justice 63,970 1.82 +1.59 0 Steady
  Shooters, Fishers and Farmers 24,257 0.69 +0.61 0 Steady
  Democratic Labour 24,097 0.69 +0.60 0 Steady
  Victorian Socialists 15,442 0.44 +0.44 0 Steady
  Reason 12,695 0.36 +0.10 0 Steady
  Transport Matters 10,313 0.29 +0.29 0 Steady
  Justice 9,277 0.26 +0.26 0 Steady
  Sustainable Australia 8,183 0.23 +0.23 0 Steady
  Country 6,566 0.19 −1.10 0 Steady
  Liberal Democratic 4,030 0.12 +0.12 0 Steady
  Aussie Battler 1,281 0.04 +0.04 0 Steady
  Liberty Alliance 1,232 0.04 +0.04 0 Steady
  Independents 213,289 6.07 +3.47 3 Increase 2**
Total valid votes 3,514,474 94.17 – – –
Invalid/blank votes 217,592 5.83 – – –
Total 3,732,066 100 – 88 Steady
Registered voters / Turnout 4,139,326 90.16 – – –
Two-party-preferred vote***
  Labor 1,988,434 57.30 +5.31 55 Increase 8
  Coalition 1,481,975 42.70 −5.31 27 Decrease 11
Two-Party-Preferred Swing

* Compared with results at 2014 election. The Greens went into the 2018 election with 3 seats following the Northcote by-election, 2017
** Compared with results at 2014 election. There were 3 independent members at the dissolution of parliament following resignations by Russell Northe and Don Nardella.
*** Based on the 87 districts for which the Liberal/National Coalition fielded a candidate. The Liberal Party did not field a candidate in Richmond. Labor received 73.07% of the two-party-preferred vote in that district at the 2014 election.

Popular vote
Labor
 
 42.86%
Liberal
 
 30.43%
Greens
 
 10.71%
National
 
 4.77%
Independents
 
 6.07%
Other
 
 5.16%
Two-party-preferred vote
Labor
 
 57.30%
Coalition
 
 42.70%
Seats
Labor
 
 62.50%
Coalition
 
 30.68%
Greens
 
 3.41%
Independents
 
 3.41%
Seats changing hands[57]
Seat 2014 election Swing 2018 election
Party Member Margin Margin Member Party
Bass Liberal Brian Paynter 4.6 +6.9 2.4 Jordan Crugnale Labor
Bayswater Liberal Heidi Victoria 4.6 +5.0 0.4 Jackson Taylor Labor
Box Hill Liberal Robert Clark 5.7 +7.8 2.1 Paul Hamer Labor
Brunswick Labor Jane Garrett 2.2 +2.8 0.6 Tim Read Greens
Burwood Liberal Graham Watt 3.2 +6.5 3.3 Will Fowles Labor
Hawthorn Liberal John Pesutto 8.6 +9.0 0.4 John Kennedy Labor
Mildura National Peter Crisp 8.0 +8.4 0.3 Ali Cupper Independent
Morwell National Russell Northe* 1.8 +3.6 1.8 Russell Northe Independent
Mount Waverley Liberal Michael Gidley 4.6 +6.4 1.8 Matt Fregon Labor
Nepean Liberal Martin Dixon 7.6 +8.5 0.9 Chris Brayne Labor
Northcote Greens Lidia Thorpe** −6.0 −4.3 1.7 Kat Theophanous Labor
Ringwood Liberal Dee Ryall 5.1 +7.9 2.8 Dustin Halse Labor
South Barwon Liberal Andrew Katos 2.9 +7.5 4.6 Darren Cheeseman Labor
* Russell Northe was elected as a Nationals MP but resigned from the party in 2017. The margin given is his margin as a Nationals candidate in 2014.
** Lidia Thorpe won Northcote from Labor for the Greens at a by-election in November 2017. The margin here is the Greens margin at the 2014 election.

Labor's victory came primarily on the strength of a larger-than-expected and larger than statewide swing in eastern Melbourne, which has traditionally decided elections in Victoria. According to the ABC's election analyst Antony Green, the eastern suburbs were swept up in a "band of red".[58] They also took a number of seats in areas considered Liberal heartland. Hawthorn, for instance, fell to Labor for only the second time ever and for the first time in 63 years. Bass elected a Labor member for the first time ever; the seat and its predecessors, Gippsland West and Westernport, had been in conservative hands for all but two terms since 1909.

Legislative Council

See also: Results of the 2018 Victorian state election (Legislative Council) and Members of the Victorian Legislative Council, 2018–2022
Legislative Council (STV/GVT) – (CV)[56][59]
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Labor 1,406,122 39.22 +5.76 18 Increase 4
    Liberal (metropolitan) 615,050 17.15 −3.67 7 Decrease 3
  Liberal/National joint ticket 439,930 12.27 −3.04
  Liberal (regional) 3 Decrease 1
  National 1 Decrease 1
Coalition total 1,054,980 29.42 −6.71 11 Decrease 5
  Greens 331,479 9.25 −1.50 1 Decrease 4
  Justice 134,266 3.75 +3.75 3 Increase 3
  Shooters, Fishers and Farmers 108,280 3.02 +1.37 1 Decrease 1
  Liberal Democratic 89,428 2.50 −0.56 2 Increase 2
  Animal Justice 88,520 2.47 +0.77 1 Increase 1
  Democratic Labour 75,221 2.10 −0.22 0 Decrease 1*
  Reason 49,013 1.37 −1.26 1 Steady
  Voluntary Euthanasia 42,611 1.19 +0.70 0 Steady
  Aussie Battler 33,172 0.93 +0.93 0 Steady
  Victorian Socialists 32,603 0.91 +0.91 0 Steady
  Sustainable Australia 29,831 0.83 +0.83 1 Increase 1
  Health Australia 28,132 0.79 +0.79 0 Steady
  Country 24,295 0.68 +0.00 0 Steady
  Transport Matters 22,051 0.62 +0.62 1 Increase 1
  Liberty Alliance 20,065 0.56 +0.56 0 Steady
  Hudson for Northern Victoria 6,363 0.18 +0.18 0 Steady
  Vote 1 Local Jobs 5,338 0.15 −0.06 0 Decrease 1
  Independents and ungrouped 2,556 0.07 −0.06 0 Steady**
Total valid votes 3,583,478 96.04 – – –
Invalid/blank votes 147,713 3.96 – – –
Total 3,731,191 100 – 40 Steady
Registered voters / Turnout 4,139,326 90.14 – – –

* - Compared with results at 2014 election. The DLP went into the 2018 election with no Legislative Council seats after Rachel Carling-Jenkins initially defected to the Conservatives and eventually sat as an independent.
** - Compared with results at 2014 election. There was one independent at the dissolution of parliament after Rachel Carling-Jenkin's defections from the DLP and then the Conservatives.

Legislative Council seats table

Region Seats held
Eastern Metropolitan          
Eastern Victoria          
Northern Metropolitan          
Northern Victoria          
South-Eastern Metropolitan          
Southern Metropolitan          
Western Metropolitan          
Western Victoria          

Party key:

  Labor
  Liberal
  Greens
  National
  Justice
  Liberal Democratic
  Reason
  Animal Justice
  Shooters, Fishers, Farmers
  Sustainable Australia
  Transport Matters

Labor benefited from an enormous swing toward it and consequently picked up at least one seat in most regions, winning 18 seats. The swing against the Coalition in the lower house was replicated in the Council and they lost five seats to finish with only 11. Most of the minor parties were the beneficiaries of above-the-line voting, though Reason Party MP Fiona Patten was re-elected on the back of a strong below-the-line vote in Northern Metropolitan.[60] The Greens were the biggest losers of the system, losing four of their five upper house members and only re-electing party leader Samantha Ratnam.[61] Derryn Hinch's Justice Party was the biggest winner on the crossbench, picking up three seats, however the party's member for Western Metropolitan (Catherine Cumming) defected to sit as an independent prior to being sworn in.[62] The Liberal Democrats won two seats.

Richard Willingham, the ABC News state political correspondent, described the result as proof of Labor's continued "dominance" of state politics, noting that "enough progressive parties [won] spots on the crossbench to potentially provide an avenue for any controversial legislation."[63]

References

  1. ^ "Victorian election result a Labor landslide with big swings in Melbourne's east". ABC News. 24 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Results: Victorian Election 2018". ABC Elections.
  3. ^ "Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews unveils reshuffled cabinet with 50 percent women in senior positions". 9 News. 29 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Michael O'Brien elected Victorian Liberal leader, replacing Matthew Guy after state election loss". ABC News. 6 December 2018.
  5. ^ Table Office (24 May 2010). "Information Sheet 16 – A New Electoral System for Victoria's Legislative Council". Department of the Legislative Council. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Fact Sheet G3: Elections" (PDF). Parliament of Victoria. December 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  7. ^ "State Election Service Plan" (PDF). Victorian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Victorian election 2018: key dates". The Age. 2 November 2018.
  9. ^ "2018 Victorian State Election Key Dates". Parliament of Victoria.
  10. ^ "Former Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan quits politics". Abc.net.au. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Don Nardella resigns from parliamentary Labor Party, Colin Brooks chosen as new Victorian Speaker". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Nationals MP 'lucky to be here' after battling depression, gambling". ABC News. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  13. ^ Willingham, Richard (28 September 2017). "Victorian Greens leader Greg Barber quits, effective immediately". ABC News. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  14. ^ Millar, Benjamin (22 January 2018). "'Exhausted' Greens MP Colleen Hartland to step down next month". The Age. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  15. ^ Green, Antony (11 December 2014). "Victorian Post-election Pendulum". ABC Elections – Antony Green's Election Blog. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Political party name abbreviations & codes, demographic ratings and seat status". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  17. ^ "Currently registered parties". Victorian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019.
  18. ^ Green, Antony (9 November 2018). "Candidates by Party for 2018 Victorian Election". ABC News. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  19. ^ "Statement from the Premier". 19 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  20. ^ Wrigley, Brendan (15 September 2017). "Howard retires and fires starting gun in race for Ballarat". The Courier. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  21. ^ Wrigley, Brendan (31 July 2017). "Wendouree MP Sharon Knight to step down at next election". The Courier. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  22. ^ Carey, Adam (26 August 2017). "Disgraced former speaker Telmo Languiller to leave politics as battle looms to replace him". The Age. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Another Vic MP announces retirement". news.com.au. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  24. ^ "Employment Minister Wade Noonan steps down from Cabinet". ABC News. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Two more Vic MPs to bow out of politics". SBS News. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Labor MP Khalil Eideh's electorate office staff placed on indefinite leave". Herald Sun. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  27. ^ Green, Antony. "Eastern Victoria". ABC News.
  28. ^ Willingham, Richard (11 August 2016). "Veteran Liberal MP Louise Asher to retire, sparking battle for Brighton seat". The Age.
  29. ^ "Victorian Liberal MP Martin Dixon to bow out of politics at next election". ABC News. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  30. ^ "Retirement of Christine Fyffe". Liberal Party.
  31. ^ Sandringham state Liberal MP Murray Thompson joins Brighton's Louise Asher in not standing in 2018, Bayside Leader, 24 November 2016
  32. ^ "Liberal MP to leave Vic parliament". Seven News. 10 February 2017. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  33. ^ McGrath, Gavin; King, Charlotte; Johnson, Sian (25 July 2018). "Victorian MP Simon Ramsay charged with drink driving says decision to leave politics is 'gut-wrenching'". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  34. ^ "Melton MP Don Nardella calls it quits". Star News Group. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  35. ^ "Australian-Indian candidate Neelam Rai withdraws from Victoria election: report". SBS Your Language. 13 November 2018. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  36. ^ Preiss, Clay Lucas, Benjamin (14 November 2018). "Liberal candidate for marginal Yan Yean gone after anti-Muslim video surfaces". The Age. Retrieved 14 November 2018.{cite web}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ "Labor sues over dumped Liberals' ballots". The Age. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  38. ^ "Parties clash over ballots and flyers in final days before Victorian state election". ABC News. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  39. ^ "Greens order candidate to withdraw from campaign activities after rape claim". ABC News. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  40. ^ "Victorian election candidate Dominic Phillips named by Greens as subject of sexual misconduct complaint". ABC News. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  41. ^ "Victorian election campaign launches for both major parties". ABC News. 28 October 2018.
  42. ^ "Victorian political parties roll out 'unprecedented' election spending promises". ABC News. 2 November 2018.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g "Victorian election: what the parties are promising". The Guardian. 20 November 2018.
  44. ^ "From safe injecting to Safe Schools: Victoria's social reform at stake". The Guardian. 15 November 2018.
  45. ^ "Greens peddle inner-city bike superlane to cycling commuters". The Age. 5 November 2018.
  46. ^ "Greens hope to join Labor to form 'most progressive government' ever seen in Victoria". ABC News. 18 November 2018.
  47. ^ "Daniel Andrews says Greens have a 'toxic cultural problem' around women". The Guardian. 18 November 2018.
  48. ^ "Almost half of Victorians have voted early". Australian Associated Press. The Mercury. 23 November 2018.
  49. ^ "Grubby politics mars Labor's policy wins". The Age. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  50. ^ "Missteps, but heading in the right direction". The Sunday Age. Melbourne. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  51. ^ Bull, Sue (7 February 2018). "Why you should support the Victorian Socialists". Green Left Weekly.
  52. ^ "A lack of levelling with voters". The Australian. Sydney. 24 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  53. ^ "A likely win that Labor did nothing to earn". Financial Review. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  54. ^ "Editorial: Vote on our state's future". Herald Sun. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  55. ^ "Victoria, it's time for a change". Sunday Herald Sun. Melbourne. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  56. ^ a b "State Election 2018 results". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  57. ^ "Changing seats". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  58. ^ ABC Melbourne [@abcmelbourne] (24 November 2018). "Here's this band of red that's swept across the east of Melbourne" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  59. ^ "Legislative Council Results". ABC Elections. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  60. ^ "Fiona Patten wins back upper house seat after nervous two-week wait". The Age. 11 December 2018.
  61. ^ "Party in the upper house: Who's who on new Victorian crossbench". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 December 2018.
  62. ^ "Derryn Hinch's Justice Party loses one of its three Victorian Upper House MPs". ABC News. 18 December 2018.
  63. ^ "Victorian election Upper House calculation results confirm Labor, crossbench domination". ABC News. 11 December 2018.

External links