Niddrie is the most heavily Catholic electorate in the State of Victoria yet the Sex Party, represented by the blond bombshell Amy Myers won a thumping 8 percent of the vote while the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), represented by Michael Deverala polled only 4.7 percent. Ms Myers, a 29-year-old gold trader, may have not been heavily into policy, but the Sex Party's libertarian line -- no restrictions on drugs, slashing the regulatory burden on business and opposing reregulation of reproductive rights -- obviously proved more attractive then the DLP's pro-life stance.
Although it was not well known, the ALP's Ben Caroll, who scored just under 47 percent of the vote and jagged a 2 percent swing, is pro life. As a result, the DLP gave him their second preference. The DLP ran a good campaign and had a professionally produced pamphlet that was distributed throughout the electorate.
The former member for Niddrie, Rob Hulls, quit for the ostensible reason that he was in danger of dropping dead. The response in the electorate was typically 'I wish'. He was not a popular local member. As for the ALP, their response was much the same. Hulls was blamed for a set of ultra trendy policies which many Labor people say cost them the election, such as the Koorie Courts and the Victoria's atrocious abortion legislation, which allows for unrestricted abortion right up to the moment of birth. Hulls did not vote for the abortion legislation and it is well know that his wife told him that as far as she was concerned, a vote for abortion was a deal breaker. The fact that Caroll, who was virtually unknown in the electorate, got a 2 percent swing is an indicator of just how on the nose Hulls was.
As for the Libs, they had been trying to establish a branch structure in Niddrie, where organisation is sadly lacking. In an exercise in cowardice that will be long remembered in Melbourne's West, they refused to even run a candidate. As it was, the electorate of Niddrie was hardly jumping with enthusiasm for the ALP, with a turnout of 83 percent and an 11 percent informal vote. The ALP had to draft in troops from outside the electorate to man the booths, an indication that the malaise in party involvement is not restricted to the Libs
Independent Andrea Surace (13%) and the Greens Josie Lester (10%) polled well but the Christian Party was a fizzer, as were the other independents. The Sex Party must feel encouraged while the faction-ridden DLP took a thumping in one of its heartland seats. Following the glimmerings of a revival with the one-off election of Peter Kavanah as MLC for Western Victoria and John Madigan in the Senate, the DLP 'must do better', as a teacher would tell an erring student. Is the moral DLP going to be consistently outpolled by the libertarian Sex Party? If so, \why?
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