Finally, Bailey wins McEwen

(Thursday 3 July 2008)

More than seven months after the 2007 federal election, the Liberal Party’s Fran Bailey has finally been confirmed as the winner of the marginal Victorian seat of McEwen.

The count in the seat was shrouded in controversy from the moment Labor’s Rob Mitchell was initially announced as the winner – by seven votes. Ms Bailey challenged this decision and was subsequently awarded the seat by 12 votes. Labor then disputed this result in the Federal Court.

Yesterday, Justice Richard Tracey ruled that the Australian Electoral Commission had wrongly ruled nine ballots as formal that should have been informal, and 142 votes as informal that should have been formal. As a result of this adjustment, he handed the seat to Ms Bailey by 27 votes.

Following the announcement of her win, the former Howard government minister said reform was needed in the voting process. “In the 21st century we have got to fix this system,” she said.

(read the full story at http://www.theage.com.au/national/court-confirms-bailey-win-20080702-30on.html)

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