Up and comer

By Kath Gannaway and Russell Bennett
LIBERAL new-comer Cindy McLeish looked set on Monday evening to claim the seat of Seymour as part of a massive state swing to the Liberal/National Coalition.
Ahead of 11-year Labor incumbent Ben Hardman by more than 1000 votes, and with 5000 still to be counted as the Mail hit deadline, Ms McLeish said she was not ready to claim victory.
Mr Hardman was also holding out for a tune from the fat lady, before conceding the seat which undoubtedly felt the backlash of local opposition to the north-south pipeline project.
Ms McLeish, who replaced Mike Laker as the Liberal candidate just weeks before the election, needed a 6.67 per cent swing to win Seymour.
As the vote-counting continued over the weekend, constituents could well have been weighing up the gains and losses if promises are kept.
ALP promises included a new fire station for Toolangi CFA, $9.8 million upgrade to Healesville and Yarra Glen bus services, $500,000 towards streetscape improvements in Yarra Glen, a 24-hour ambulance service in Healesville and a $19 million investment in a conference centre for Marysville.
Included in Coalition promises were that the Yarra Valley Practitioners Project would get the $450,000 funding it needs to continue its work with bushfire victims by February, $100,000 for a feasibility study into a regional tourism centre at Lilydale, and $4 million to protect winegrowers from smoke taint.
The Coalition matched the ALP’s $19 million conference centre funding commitment for Marysville, and added $6 million for loans to support small businesses.
Ms McLeish said she would fight to get a substantial chunk of the estimated $5 million Yarra Glen is looking for to re-develop the main street to bring people into the town and revive what local business people have told both Coalition and Labor candidates in the lead-up to the election is a town on the brink of commercial disaster.
“I will be making sure if we have committed to something, it will happen,” Ms McLeish said.
On matching the ALP’s $9.8million transport pledge, she said a Coalition government would look at fixing the metro network as a priority with benefits flowing on to regional services.
In Evelyn, sitting Liberal MP Christine Fyffe retained her seat on the back of a massive swing to the coalition.
Ms Fyffe had held Evelyn on a 2.8 per cent margin but after the weekend’s polls that number had skyrocketed to 12.5 per cent.
“People were just very unhappy with the (Brumby government’s) increase in power and water bills and other charges,” Ms Fyffe said.
Ms Fyffe, who won a massive 62.6 per cent of the two-party preferred vote, said she was “absolutely delighted” with the result.
“Now I’m just looking forward to the next four years and honouring all of the local commitments I’ve made,” she said.
Ms Fyffe said one of her main focuses during her next term would be providing better mental health services for local residents.
“I’ll also fight for improvements to local public transport – both the safety and availability of services.”