Inside Hawthorn: Back to true Liberal blue or will teal lightning strike twice?
The seat was a shock win for Labor in 2018. The opposition is counting on taking it back but a teal candidate has other ideas. Welcome to our in-depth coverage of this key electorate.
‘Open slather’ for developers is bad news for heritage, Hawthorn campaigners say
Heritage has been one of the most contested spaces in Melbourne’s inner east, but at this election only one candidate in Hawthorn has made its protection a core issue.
- by Clay Lucas
21 November
Flyers from Libs and teals go on the attack as election day looms
Competition for the state seats of Hawthorn and Kew is heating up, with the Liberal Party putting flyers in letterboxes in the electorates saying a vote for a teal independent candidate is a vote to re-elect the Andrews government.
- by Clay Lucas
Feed frenzy: How your local candidate is all up in your socials
State political advertising in key seats is now less about the leader and more about the local candidate.
- by Bianca Hall, Clay Lucas and Rachael Dexter
Tribunal overturns VEC ban on teal how-to-vote cards
Justice Michelle Quigley found she was “not satisfied that on all of the material that the card is likely to mislead or deceive” voters.
- by David Estcourt and Clay Lucas
No blanks allowed: Teal candidates plot legal challenge over how-to-vote cards
At least two independent candidates - including one in the ultra-marginal seat of Hawthorn - are preparing to mount a legal action against the electoral commission over blank boxes on how-to-vote cards.
- by Clay Lucas
Teals in Hawthorn and Kew threatened with jail over how-to-vote cards
The Victorian Electoral Commission has delivered “cease and desist” letters to two teal candidates ordering them to stop handing out how-to-vote cards that do not allocate preferences, or face jail or an $11,000 fine.
- by Clay Lucas
15 November
Labor accused of ‘stupid politics’ over climate scorecard in Hawthorn
Labor attacks Greens over its role in a climate change scorecard. But the genuine community groups behind it say it’s a smear that won’t pay off for Labor.
- by Clay Lucas
Ballot draw favours Labor’s John Kennedy ahead of key rivals in Hawthorn
Labor has finished closest to the top on the ballot draw among candidates likely to win the ultra-marginal seat of Hawthorn, with the teal candidate next in line and the Liberals second last.
- by Clay Lucas
November 10
Hawthorn MP contracts COVID-19 as nominations for seats close
Hawthorn MP John Kennedy has caught COVID-19 and will miss the drawing of the ballot for the ultra-marginal inner-eastern seat on Friday.
- by Clay Lucas
‘Going backwards’: What it’s like on the hard side of Hawthorn
It might be one of the nation’s wealthiest electorates, but one in three residents is a renter and some are doing it tough.
- by Clay Lucas
November 7
The Camberwell bridge that cyclists want, and critics warn could cost $30 million
Hawthorn has some of Melbourne’s best transport infrastructure, but a local cycling group says the seat needs some crucial upgrades, including a bridge to cross a major road.
- by Clay Lucas
November 3
‘Hawthorn’s climate has changed’: Candidates make climate policy pitches at town hall forum
The candidates in the state seat of Hawthorn on Wednesday night made their pitches to hundreds of voters on what they would do to tackle climate change if elected.
- by Clay Lucas
November 2
Hawthorn Greens candidate hopes political cycle will suit him
In May’s federal poll for this area, the Greens’ vote fell by 15 percentage points. The party’s young cycle-riding candidate hopes he can avoid a similar fate.
- by Clay Lucas
October 29
Will Hawthorn go back to blue, remain red or could teal lightning strike again?
Labor enjoyed a shock win in Hawthorn at the 2018 election for the first time in 63 years. But now a “teal” candidate wants to take the seat.
- by Clay Lucas
'Not a great side of the table to be on': John Pesutto loses his seat at 2018 Victorian election
As the results streamed in on a tough night for the Victorian Liberals, ABC TV viewers watched John Pesutto lose his seat of Hawthorn live on air.
October 31
Hawthorn MP gets vehicle allowance despite no car or driver’s licence
Public transport enthusiast and Labor MP John Kennedy gets a $20,000-a-year motor vehicle allowance he is entitled to from the Victorian parliament, despite not owning a car and never having had a driver’s licence.
- by Clay Lucas
September 1
Teals announce Melissa Lowe as candidate for Hawthorn
New teal candidate Melissa Lowe hopes it is her turn to pull off another surprise win in Melbourne’s inner-east state seat of Hawthorn.
- by Clay Lucas and Paul Sakkal
The three seats that will open a window on the state election
This election campaign we’re zeroing in on three very different seats to better understand what’s happening on the ground.
- by Michael Bachelard