ALP 11.2%
Incumbent MP
Don Nardella (IND), since 1999. Previously Member of the Legislative Council for Melbourne North Province 1992-99.
Geography
Western fringe of Melbourne. Melton covers parts of Melton and Moorabool council areas, with a majority of the seat’s population in Melton itself. Melton also covers Bacchus Marsh.
History
Melton was first created as an electoral district in 1992. It has always been won by the Labor Party.
It was first won in 1992 by David Cunningham, who had previously been elected to the newly-created seat of Derrimut in 1985. Derrimut was abolished after only two elections in 1992, and Cunningham moved to Melton. He was re-elected in 1996 and retired in 1999.
In 1999, he was succeeded by Don Nardella. He had served as a Labor MLC for Melbourne North province for one term from 1992 to 1999 before moving to the Legislative Assembly. Nardella was re-elected in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.
Nardella served as Deputy Speaker from 2014 until 2017, when he resigned over his claiming an allowance for a second house. He subsequently resigned from the ALP to serve out his term as an independent.
Candidates
Sitting independent MP Don Nardella is not running for re-election.
- Bob Turner (Independent)
- Ryan Farrow (Liberal)
- Grant Stirling (Independent)
- Jarrod Bingham (Independent)
- Harkirat Singh (Greens)
- Sophie Ramsey (Independent)
- Victor Bennett (Democratic Labour)
- Ron Guy (Socialists)
- Tania Milton (Animal Justice)
- Ian Birchall (Independent)
- Stephen McGhie (Labor)
- Daryl Lang (Independent)
Assessment
Melton is a reasonably safe Labor seat. Nardella’s recent scandal may hurt the Labor campaign but it’s unlikely to result in a Liberal win.
2014 result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
| Don Nardella | Labor | 19,272 | 50.5 | +0.4 |
| Daryl Lang | Liberal | 11,783 | 30.8 | +0.9 |
| Marie-Anne Cooper | Greens | 2,777 | 7.3 | -1.5 |
| Monika Thomas | Voice For The West | 1,544 | 4.0 | +4.0 |
| Matt Deleon | Independent | 1,392 | 3.6 | +0.2 |
| Mabor Chadhuol | Australian Christians | 532 | 1.4 | +1.4 |
| Sav Mangion | Country Alliance | 443 | 1.2 | -1.3 |
| Victor Bennett | Independent | 338 | 0.9 | +0.9 |
| Mohamad Aljofan | Independent | 114 | 0.3 | +0.3 |
| Informal | 3,379 | 8.1 |
2014 two-party-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
| Don Nardella | Labor | 23,495 | 61.2 | -2.4 |
| Daryl Lang | Liberal | 14,885 | 38.8 | +2.4 |
Booth breakdown
Booths in Melton have been divided into three areas: central, west and south. “West” covers those booths around Bacchus Marsh, while those in “Central” cover the centre of Melton. “South” covers booths to the south of Melton.
Labor won a majority of the two-party-preferred vote in all three areas, ranging from 56% in the west to 64.6% in the north-east.
| Voter group | ALP 2PP % | Total votes | % of votes |
| North-East | 64.6 | 9,283 | 24.3 |
| West | 56.0 | 6,448 | 16.9 |
| South-East | 63.1 | 5,588 | 14.6 |
| Other votes | 62.6 | 4,196 | 11.0 |
| Pre-poll | 60.1 | 12,680 | 33.2 |
Two-party-preferred votes in Melton at the 2014 Victorian state election
Both Labor and Liberal candidates refused to appear on the ABC John Faines morning radio show today 19 Oct 18 even though the show was broadcast from Melton this morning. According to Faine Melton is larger than Ballarat or Bendigo but still does not have a hospital. One school has tank water and a septic toilet system.
There will be a study for a future hospital while other issues included lack of public transport in some areas, infrequent services and poor routes that passengers find difficult however of the 100 or so people in the outside broadcast audience most preferred spending on roads before public transport however (a small sample of views)
One speaker on the ABC Radio Melbourne John Faine broadcast on 19 Oct 18 said that youth crime has decreased in Melton but male adult domestic violence has increased. It was suggested the it is better to build more TAFE’s rather than gaols too.
A number of minor party and independent candidates expressed their views including the former Liberal candidate who stood last time but was not wanted by the party this time. He is an independent this time.
Labor now looking for a new candidate here
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/labor-loses-safe-seat-candidate-four-weeks-before-state-election-20181025-p50btg.html
The new Labor candidate for Melton is Steve McGhie, former Ambos’ Union head.
Does anyone think that this seat could fall to us? Look at it this way:
– Rorting by the outgoing Labor member
– Nardella is completely unrepentant about said rorting
– Candidate that was just sacked seems to be of the typical ‘western suburbs factional warlord’ mould – not appealing to undecided voters!
– Candidate that was just selected seems to be of the typical ‘Labor union hack’ mould – not appealing to undecided voters!
– Growing sentiment of ‘safe seat syndrome’ in Melbourne’s West
– Masses of new housing and new migration
– Stronger Liberal vote here than in other areas like St Albans and Sydenham
I think that out of the ‘blue ribbon’ safe Labor seats in Melbourne’s west, Melton is most likely to fall, maybe along with Niddrie. One can only hope!
People in the electorate don’t think of factional warlords/union hacks. They look at the party they think that best represent them. Demographics for Libs are not favorable. Their policies, apart from law and order, absolutely stink, especially on the federal level. Simply put Liberal party is seen to be for rich and wealthy.
I don’t think Melton will fall this time around, there might be a stronger than normal swing to the Liberals here this year though, although I am hopeful (as a Liberal) for the result here in 2022, especially if Andrews and Co. are re-elected this year – expect the likes of Melton (along with Sunbury to name another) to be targets that election if the Andrews government is re-elected – this area reminds me of areas like Baldivis in Perth to name three – new areas close to better areas for Labor, although hardly strong Labor territory, with lots of young families in the area.
I wasn’t aware the comment section of Ben Raue’s “The Tally Room” election blog was standing a candidate.
😛
Who is “us”? The Liberals?
Labor seems to have a machine gun trained on its foot, but even then I can’t see anyone else winning the seat. Labor will leak votes to the surprisingly active Greens candidate, the DLP, and independents, but they’ll all come straight back. Melton Hospital, which Labor supports and the Liberals don’t, should seal the deal.
Bennee I was talking as a Liberal Party member, not on behalf of the site. I don’t even live in Melton, I live in Buninyong – ironically enough the same place as this fella that Labor wants to parachute in.
Libs won’t win Melton. That would require a Wentworth-level swing.
Let’s be quite Frank
Labor supports a feasibility study for a hospital and has committed 2.3 million out of promises to date of over 23 billion
That is Melton gets .0001%
of Labors promises to date.
That’s been about what Melton has got since the seat was formed in 1992.
MrNardelka said his greatest achievement was upgrading the bitanical gardens and he had been there since 1999.
About 500,000 people live within a 20 minute drive of Melton. Rising to 800,000 in the next 25 years.
That’s currently the population of Hobart and Geelong with massive public hospitals In Each and a number of private hospitals
Melton has a tiny Hospital in the Marsh – under resourced and Labor blamed the Volunteer Board sacked them and then funded / medical directors and a new foetal monitoring machine
Melton deserves better
Make your vote Count.
The only real
Melton Hospital candidate is Ian Birchall.
My prediction: Labor hold/re-gain.
Big swing against Labor here, probably the Nardella factor was perceived as the electorate was being taken for granted by the constituents.
Okay, it was a wipeout, but from my Liberal perspective Melton could potentially be a bright spot.