The 2010 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 27 November 2010, was for the 57th
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
. The election was to elect all 88 members of the
Legislative Assembly and all 40 members of the
Legislative Council. The incumbent
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...
Labor Party government, led by
John Brumby
John Mansfield Brumby (born 21 April 1953) is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier ...
, was defeated by the
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
/
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
opposition, led by
Ted Baillieu
Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, representing the electorate of ...
. The election gave the Coalition a one-seat majority in both houses of parliament.
Voting is
compulsory
Compulsion may refer to:
* Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so.
* Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by i ...
in Victoria. Elections for the
Legislative Assembly use
instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a type of ranked preferential voting method. It uses a majority voting rule in single-winner elections where there are more than two candidates. It is commonly referred to as ranked-choice voting (RCV) in the Un ...
(called preferential voting in Australia) in
single-member electorates (called districts). Elections for the
Legislative Council use partial
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
, using
single transferable vote
Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...
(also called preferential voting) in multi-member electorates (called regions). Members of the Legislative Council are elected from eight electoral regions each returning five members, making the quota for election in each region 16.67 percent of valid votes cast in that region. The election was conducted by the
Victorian Electoral Commission
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literatu ...
(VEC).
Background
At the
1999 election, the Labor Party led by
Steve Bracks was able to form a
minority government
A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...
with the parliamentary support of 3 Independents, displacing the incumbent
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...
Liberal/National Coalition government. Labor was returned with a
majority government
A majority government is a government by one or more governing parties that hold an absolute majority of seats in a legislature. This is as opposed to a minority government, where the largest party in a legislature only has a plurality of seats. ...
after a landslide win at the
2002 election. Labor was elected for a third term at the
2006 election with a substantial but reduced majority. Labor won 55 of the 88 seats, a decrease of 7, and 54.4% of the
two-party preferred
In Australian politics, the two-party-preferred vote (TPP or 2PP) is the result of an election or opinion poll after preferences have been distributed to the highest two candidates, who in some cases can be independents. For the purposes of TPP, ...
vote, a decrease of 3.4%. Brumby replaced Bracks as Labor leader and Premier of Victoria in 2007.
Political changes
The previous elections took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. At the
2006 election, the
Labor Party won 55 of the 88 seats, the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
won 23, the
National Party won 9, and there was 1 Independent. Since that date a number of political changes took place.
Both Premier Bracks and
Deputy Premier
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
John Thwaites resigned on 27 July 2007.
By-elections
Between the 2006 and 2010 elections, four
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
s took place. In Bracks' seat of
Williamstown and Thwaites' seat of
Albert Park in 2007, former minister
Andre Haermeyer's seat of
Kororoit in 2008, and former minister
Lynne Kosky
Lynne Janice Kosky (2 September 1958 – 4 December 2014) was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Government of Victoria. She represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Part ...
's seat of
Altona in 2010. All four seats were retained by Labor. Labor MP
Craig Langdon
Craig Anthony Cuffe Langdon (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1996 until 2010. He was a social worker before entering politics.
Langdon resigned from the parli ...
resigned from his seat of
Ivanhoe
''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...
in August 2010, however the by-election writ was discharged by the Parliamentary Speaker due to the proximity of the state election coupled with the cost of holding a by-election.
Campaign
![Brian Walters Adam Bandt Bob Brown DSC 6070](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Brian_Walters_Adam_Bandt_Bob_Brown_DSC_6070.JPG)
The Liberal and National Parties contested the election as a
Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
, which they had not done since the previous agreement lapsed in 2000. The Liberal Party departed from tradition and gave their preferences to Labor ahead of the Greens, thereby decreasing the chances of the Greens winning up to four inner city seats from Labor.
The Coalition launched their campaign on 14 November 2010 at the
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, colloquially referred to as "Jeff's Shed," is a group of three adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The venues are ow ...
in the
electoral district of Melbourne
The electoral district of Melbourne is an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It currently includes the localities of Docklands, Carlton, Melbourne, East Melbourne, West Melbourne, North Melbourne, Parkville, Newmarket, Kensing ...
, with the slogan: "Fix the problems. Build the future." Labor launched their campaign on 16 November 2010 in the
electoral district of Bendigo East
Bendigo East is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It covers an area of covering the part of the city of Bendigo east of the Yungera railway line and surrounding rural areas to the north ...
, using the slogan: "For the times ahead." The Greens ran with the slogan "This time, I'm voting Green".
Issues
The Coalition campaigned heavily against the Brumby Government's new
Myki
Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable credit card-sized contactless smart card ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia. Myki replaced the ...
ticketing system, which had been delivered at triple the projected cost and years behind schedule, as well as its construction of an expensive
desalination plant
Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Saltw ...
that many claimed was unnecessary. Other issues included health, education, and law and order. Ted Baillieu promised to restore the budget to surplus, employ more nurses and police, make Victorian teachers the highest paid in the country, and abolish
suspended sentences which were seen as out of touch with community standards.
Retiring MPs
Labor
*
Peter Batchelor
Peter John Batchelor (born 21 September 1950) is a former Australian politician who served as an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Thomastown from 1990 until 2010.
Batchelor was born in western Sydney ...
MLA (
Thomastown
Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number o ...
)
*
Bob Cameron MLA (
Bendigo West
Bendigo West is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Victoria. It is a
electorate centred on the city of Bendigo west of the Yungera railway line, and including surrounding rural towns to the west ...
)
*
Carlo Carli MLA (
Brunswick)
*
Judy Maddigan
Judith Marilyn Maddigan (; born 3 February 1948), Australian politician, was Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 2003 to 2005. She was the member for the seat of Essendon from 1996 to 2010, representing the Labor Party.
Maddig ...
MLA (
Essendon Essendon may refer to:
Australia
*Electoral district of Essendon
*Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington
* Essendon, Victoria
**Essendon railway station
**Essendon Airport
* Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League
United Ki ...
)
*
Karen Overington
Karen Marie Overington (16 November 1951 – 11 August 2011) was an Australian politician. She was a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2010, representing the electorate of Ballarat West.
Overington was born ...
MLA (
Ballarat West)
*
George Seitz MLA (
Keilor
Keilor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Brimbank and Hume local government areas. Keilor recorded a population of 5,906 at the 2021 census.
...
)
Liberal
*
Helen Shardey MLA (
Caulfield)
*
John Vogels
John Adrian Vogels (born 14 June 1946, in the Netherlands) has been the Chairman of Wannon Water, a regional Water Authority in Victoria Australia, since 2011. He was an Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Victorian Parliamen ...
MLC (
Western Victoria Region
Western Victoria Region is one of the eight electoral regions of Victoria, Australia, which elects five members to the Victorian Legislative Council (also referred to as the upper house) by proportional representation. The region was created in ...
)
National
*
Ken Jasper MLA (
Murray Valley)
Results
Legislative Assembly
Labor suffered a swing of 5.96 percent, a larger swing than the
1992 landslide that brought the
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...
-led Coalition to power.
However, much of that swing was wasted on landslide victories in the Coalition's heartland. As a result, the Coalition only just managed the 13-seat swing it needed to make Baillieu premier, netting it a bare majority of two seats.
On 29 November, with the result beyond doubt, Brumby conceded defeat. He resigned as state Labor leader the next day. The new Liberal/National government was sworn in on 2 December 2010, and former Health Minister
Daniel Andrews was elected Labor leader on 3 December.
Legislative Council
Legislative Council seats
In the 40-member upper house where all members are up for re-election every term, the Coalition won a majority of 21 seats, with 16 seats won by Labor and 3 won by the Greens.
Seats changing hands
¶ In 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, the final Gippsland East 2PP count included Independent and Liberal, however in 2010 the final 2PP count included Independent and Nationals
Key dates
Terms are fixed at four years. Elections occur in line with the fixed term provisions laid out in the ''Electoral Act 2002''.
Key dates for the election were:
*2 November: Dissolution of Parliament and lodgement of election writs
*9 November: Close of rolls
*11 November: Close of nominations for party candidates
*12 November: Close of nominations for independents
*15 November: Early voting commences
*25 November: Close of postal voting
*26 November: Early voting closes
*27 November: Election day (polls open 8am to 6pm)
Polling
Polling conducted by
Newspoll
Newspoll is an Australian opinion polling brand, published by ''The Australian'' and administered by international market research and data analytics group, YouGov. Newspoll has a long tradition of predicting Australian Federal Election resul ...
and published in ''
The Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' is performed via random telephone number selection in city and country areas.
Sampling sizes usually consist of over 1000 electors, with the declared
margin of error
The margin of error is a statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in the results of a survey. The larger the margin of error, the less confidence one should have that a poll result would reflect the result of a census of the e ...
at ±3 percent.
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
exit polls in marginal seats recorded a Coalition 54-46 Labor result.
Newspaper endorsements
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010 Victorian state election
Elections in Victoria (Australia)
2010 elections in Australia
2010s in Victoria (Australia)
November 2010 events in Australia