By Colin MacGillivray
LABOR’S Lauren Kathage has vowed to repay the trust placed in her by the voters of Yan Yean after claiming victory in the seat following the November 26 state election.
Ms Kathage was vying, along with the Liberals’ Richard Welch and other minor party and independent candidates, to replace longstanding Yan Yean representative Danielle Green, who announced she would step down after 20 years in the Victorian Parliament earlier this year.
Ms Kathage declined to declare victory before last week’s Review went to print despite leading Mr Welch in early returns.
As of yesterday afternoon, the Victorian Electoral Commission showed Ms Kathage leading Mr Welch head-to-head with 54.43 per cent of the vote to 45.57 on a two-candidate basis, with nearly 90 per cent of votes counted.
Ms Kathage garnered 16,231 primary votes, or about 41 per cent, ahead of Mr Welch with 13,297, or about 34 per cent.
Ms Kathage said she had ‘a high standard to follow’ as she prepared to succeed Ms Green, and vowed to deliver on election commitments as soon as possible.
“Having met with so many people during the election campaign – hearing what matters to them and the issues they want help with – I’ve been preparing a long list of actions so that I can hit the ground running once I’m officially declared the successful candidate and sworn in as the Member for Yan Yean,” she said.
“There are critical projects I’ll be working on to deliver with the re-elected Andrews Labor government, which our communities voted to endorse, such as the continuing upgrades to schools and roads.
“I’ll also be setting up my office to be an accessible resource for everyone in the Yan Yean seat right across all our suburbs and towns.”
Ms Kathage thanked the community and her election volunteer team for their support.
“I’m so grateful to all the people who took the time to share their views with me while I was out and about doorknocking or attending community events,” she said.
“It’s been really important to me to hear first-hand from people about what they want me to be fighting for. I intend to repay their belief in me with hard work.
“I’ve been phoning volunteers to thank them. So many people helped out over the last year, so I am still making my way through the list.”
Labor yesterday announced Member for Kalkallo Ros Spence and Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas would each continue as ministers, with Ms Thomas also named Leader of the House in the Legeslative Assembly, replacing Lizzie Blandthorn, who moved to the upper house at the election.
Ms Thomas also retains the health portfolio and was named Minister for Health Infrastructure and Minister for Medical Research. The ambulance services portfolio previously held by Ms Thomas was reassigned to Gabrielle Williams.
Ms Spence also retained the prevention of family violence and community sport portfolios she previously held, while adding suburban development and ceding the youth and multicultural affairs portfolios to Natalie Suleyman and Colin Brooks respectively.
