Geelong residents will have the chance to elect Australia’s prime minister at the 2022 federal election on Saturday.
The region is divided across two electorates – Corio and Corangamite – with the Corangamite electorate seen to be one of the most important in determining which party will form government.
Corangamite covers the Bellarine Peninsula, Leopold, Geelong’s southern growth areas including Grovedale, Waurn Ponds and Armstrong Creek, Bannockburn and the Surf Coast.
It is one of the most marginal seats in the country, with Labor MP Libby Coker winning the seat at the 2019 election by just one per cent in the two-party preferred voting.
The seat has changed hands three times in the past 20 years, with now state Labor MP Darren Cheeseman winning the seat from the Liberal Party in 2007, before now senator Sarah Henderson held it for the Liberals between 2013 and 2019.
The campaign has seen significant funding commitments for Corangamite from both major parties.
Voters in Corangamite will have nine candidates to choose from – Stephen Juhasz (Australian Federation Party), Alex Marshall (Greens), Libby Coker (Labor), Meg Watkins (Animal Justice Party), Stephanie Asher (Liberal), Paul Barker (Liberal Democratic Party), Luke Sorensen (One Nation), Daniel Abou-Zeid (United Australia Party) and Jean-Marie D’Argent (Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party).
There has been less interest in the race to win the seat of Corio, which covers most of Geelong’s suburbs, except for the southern growth corridor, as well as the northern regional parts of the City of Greater Geelong.
The seat has been held by the Labor Party since 1967, with deputy opposition leader Richard Marles holding the seat since 2007.
The seat is one of Labor’s safest, with Mr Marles being re-elected in 2019 with a 10.3 per cent margin in the two-party preferred vote.
Corio voters will also have nine options on the ballot – Sue Bull (Socialist Alliance), Jessica Taylor (Australian Federation Party), Manish Patel (Liberal), Simon Northeast (Greens), Robert Jones (One Nation), Naomi Adams (Animal Justice Party), Max Payne (Liberal Democratic Party), Shane Murdock (United Australia Party) and Richard Marles (Labor).
Details:aec.gov.au/election/voting.htm
