Saturday’s federal election reinforced the strength of sitting members in McEwen and Nicholls, with both incumbents securing decisive victories amid a closely watched national contest.
In McEwen, sitting member, Rob Mitchell retained the seat with a comfortable margin, defying predictions of a tighter race, while in Nicholls, the Nationals’ Sam Birrell extended his margin significantly, reflecting strong local support.
Many saw the results reflecting voter confidence in established representation and suggest regional electorates may be favouring stability over change in an increasingly volatile political landscape.
Rob Mitchell successfully retained the seat of McEwen, defeating Liberal challenger Jason McClintock by a margin of 3,345 votes. In the 2022 federal election, Mitchell secured the seat with a margin of 6,277 votes, in a dramatically tightened race this time. He has represented McEwen since 2010 and has consistently secured re-election.
Mr Mitchell described the results as ‘fantastic’.
“We thank the Australian people, and we’re humbled because of the trust they’ve put in us. We’re not taking any day for granted. Australians made a clear choice about optimism and determination, trusting our values and backing our people,” Mr Mitchell said.
In the neighbouring electorate of Nicholls, Sam Birrell successfully retained the seat with an impressive 48.63 per cent of the primary vote, reflecting a significant swing of 19.44 percentage points compared to the previous election.
“It’s a great honour to be re-elected as the Federal Member for Nicholls. It’s a very humble feeling to have had close to 50 percent of constituents give you their number 1 vote, but I commit to being the representative for everyone in our electorate not just the ones who voted for me,” Mr Birrell said.
“As soon as ministers in portfolios have been appointed, they will get letters and visits from me explaining the importance of the projects that I committed to in the campaign and advocating to see how we can work together and get them done. I worked collaboratively in the last term with the Labor Government and I achieved significant funding for our region and I will continue to do that this term of Parliament,” he added.
The election saw a turnout of 13,874 voters in Nicholls, with 95.32 per cent of votes deemed formal. Despite a national trend favouring Labor, Nicholls remains a stronghold for the Nationals.
The Australian Electoral Commission reported a total of 61,066 votes cast in McEwen, comprising 58,209 formal and 2,857 informal votes.
In the weeks leading up to the polls candidates made a range of funding promises should their party win government.
Rob Mitchell promised $45 million for an Old Sydney Road upgrade, $3.412 million for black spot funding, $1.5 million for CCTV cameras to improve community security, $500,000 to establish a hockey team in Beveridge, $185,000 for Whittlesea Football Netball Club Upgrades, $7.1 million for Mernda Housing Infrastructure, $1.5 Million for Doreen Splash Park and $150 million for the Camerons Lane Interchange.
All eyes will now be on the outcome and timing of these commitments.
“We’ve had discussions with the Shire about Old Sydney Road and getting it underway as quick as possible,” Mr Mitchell said.
“We haven’t had a chance yet to talk to the state government yet about Donnybrook Road—our first conversation will be on Watson Street to get that moving as quick as possible. The infrastructure things are also very important and making sure the services we need are still available,” he added.
