Final Election Results

The Age, through the AEC, reports the final figures from the 2007 Federal Election after collating, checking and distributing preferences. As noted in the article, some interesting results from seats which would now fall into the 'Marginal Labor' category at the next Federal election. These include such as Bennelong, Corangamite and Deakin. On the flip side, there are Liberal seats that would now be considered 'Very Marginal Liberal' such as (triple recount) McEwen, which was not even on the radar of Coalition pollsters as seats at risk before Nov 25th.

Can Fran Bailey retain the seat next time, now that she has lost her ministry, and the profile associated with Australian Tourism campaigns such as the controversial WTBHAY? Could her association with model Lara Bingle gotten her over the line?

Another Election, and yet another under performance from the Greens. Despite the mainstreaming of Climate Change, partly through Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, as well as Kyoto ratification figuring as an election issue, Bob Brown's party only managed a .60% increase in first preferences across the country. In the Seat of Melbourne, Lindsay Tanner still held on, but the Liberals still managed to outpoll the Greens by a few hundred votes. Another one to watch for next time.

On a statewide basis, the Greens were very confident, almost certain in some quarters, to pick up the final Senate Seat in Victoria. In the wash up, they weren't even close, as David Feeney finished over quota to claim the final spot, which I thought would be fought out between Scott Ryan and Richard DiNatale (who thought he would knock off Bronwyn Pike in the Melbourne District at the previous two State Elections).
New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland each returned three Labor and three Coalition Senators, meaning that Kerry Nettle (of "Keep Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries fame) will not sit beyond 1 July.

It is also the end of the Democrats representation in the Senate. With its first Senator in 1977, and a notional balance of power from 1983 to 1996 (when Mal Colston resigned, and they shared the balance of power with Colston and Brian Harradine), the Democrats never quite recovered from the two punch of Meg Lees' defection to Labor in 1997 and the agreement to pass the Coalition's Goods and Services Tax legislation. The constant turnover of leaders (four in six years) never boded well for constant policy positions.

Many calls have been made to continue the Democrats brand, and to ready it for the election. My suggestion would be to follow the example set by the Liberal Democrats in the UK, although not to follow their turnover of leaders (three in two year). The Liberal Democrats' strength in the United Kingdom is their representation on Local Councils, where they are in joint control or control Councils in their own right. Of course, the powers of UK Local Governments are far greater than their Australian counterparts, particularly with regards to Council Tax,

The Democrats can start to build from the bottom up, and rebuild a brand and trust with an electorate that thought they had perished quite some time ago. In three years time they may not be ready to contest another Senate Race, but if they roll out across candidates Local Council quickly, 2013 looks like a resonable chance. I do question the logic of running your most recognised candidate, Laura Chipp (Don Chipp's daughter) in a seat like Isaacs, with apologies to Lyn Allison who think the current leader is either Stott-Despoja or Murray, where she would have made a far better second candidate, or in a very marginal seat (such as McEwen), where her (name) impact could have been of more significance.

Update
In the article on Laura Chipp provided above, The Age's Andra Jackson, suggests that Chipp only needed a 1.5% swing. In an important oversight this was the margin that Ross Fox, the Liberals's candidate, would have needed to take the seat from Labor. Laura needed (only) a 95%+ swing to take it.

Update II
Isn't it nice when you scoop Tim Colebatch? Although I still credit The Age for the original story on the House of Representatives.