Congratulations to all our Albert Park and Williamstown candidates and campaigners

16 September 2007 In the Albert Park byelection yesterday, 28% of voters put a number 1 in the Greens box, compared with 19% of voters last November. The Greens' primary vote in the Williamstown by-election almost doubled from 12% to 22%. On a two-party-preferred basis, our results so far are Albert Park 42.8% and Williamstown 35.9%. This is despite a very negative and deceptive anti-Greens campaign run by the ALP. In Albert Park, the ALP outspent the Greens by 20 to 1.

John Middleton, Senator Bob Brown and Sue Pennicuik MLC

Greens candidate for Williamstown, Cr Janet Rice, said she was very pleased with the result. The ALP primary vote dropped 6 percentage points from 62% to 56%. “This is a massive result given the Liberals weren’t standing”, she said, "The ALP vote was under 50% in 4 of the 15 booths...I suspect this would be the first election in the last hundred years in Williamstown where the Labor party has received less than 50% of the vote at any booth". The Greens' Williamstown vote peaked in Yarraville at 34%.

In Albert Park, the highest votes for Greens candidate John Middleton were recorded in Middle Park and St Kilda South – both over 32%.

Greens national leader, Senator Bob Brown, says the results in Victoria were fantastic. "This is becoming an engine room of the Greens across Australia," he said.

^{_{Williamstown candidate Janet Rice (11th from left) and some of the campaigners who helped her achieve a great result}}