By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GEELONG’S first finals football-flavoured federal election could delay results in the tightest seat in the nation, Corangamite.
The clash of the two major events will follow a belated ALP funding announcement on Wednesday of $5 million for preparatory work for stage four of Simonds Stadium’s redevelopment.
A spokesperson for Mr Cheeseman, who holds Corangamite by .3 per cent, said a higher number of postal votes as voters avoided a clash with football commitments could delay the election outcome in the seat.
Postal votes are counted after ballots cast on polling day and take longer to process.
“We’re assuming the result won’t be finalised on night. It might come down to another two-week count,” Mr Cheeseman’s spokesman said.
“We’re expecting a rise in pre-poll votes. We had 900 through the Grovedale pre-poll booth on one day this week and that’s quite big.
“Postal voting is up a quite a bit this year and because they’re counted later that could potentially come into play.
“It’s not just the AFL, the whole town will be either at the game or watching on television and there are local footy finals as well.”
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) said it had put strategies in place to minimise the interruption of Geelong hosting its first ever finals match at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.
An AEC spokesperson said postal votes were trending well above the 2010 election, with around one million Victorians expected to vote early.
Geelong’s central pre-polling booth in Yarra St will become the region’s only interstate polling booth on Saturday, with the AEC expecting many Fremantle supporters to use it before the game.
The $5 million funding commitment was for the master plan of stage four, replacing the Brownlow and Jennings Stands with one modern grandstand.
The stage also includes two new 600 and 300-seat function rooms, media facilities, additional coaches and a Sunrise Centre, a state-of-the art rehabilitation, support and return-to-work facility for disabled people.
Mr Marles said he was unsure whethere the announcement would influence voters but that it demonstrated Labor’s commitment to the region and the further development of the stadium.
Mr Cook said the announcment would encourage the club to undertake further lobbying for the remainder of the $80 million project.
Liberal candidate for Corgangamite Sarah Henderson had failed to confirm before the Independent went to press whether the coalition would match the commitment.
