A slow stream of people have filed into St Michael’s Polling Booth in St Kilda, with voters swamped by a deluge of election volunteers.
Valery Shakhbazyam, 71, who is registered to vote in St Kilda, said cost of living was driving his vote.
“Groceries are very expensive. Crime is an issue. Too many drugs. Very dodgy sometimes.”
St Kilda resident Valery Shakhbazyam.Credit: Penny Stephens
St Kilda resident Adam Kenterogolou was concerned about crime, cost-of-living and lowering taxes.
“I feel like crime has been really high in St Kilda, especially last year. I’ve noticed it, other people have noticed it. There was the girl who was murdered, she was found in my building just before it happened. My neighbour had a stabbing out the front of their house a couple of weeks ago. Crime is on the rise. I don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
Tiphat Banjongpru, 49, Southbank, said cost-of-living was his main concern, but he didn’t know much about the candidates. “If you can reduce the cost of living like groceries, it could help us live,” he said.
For Windsor resident Denny Baring, federal issues were driving his vote.
“Issues that were important to me are Indigenous sovereignty and the situation in Gaza,” he said.
“There’s only really one party in this electorate which has any stance on both those topics, the other parties either have no stance or are actively working against those issues.”
Windsor resident Denny Baring. Credit: Penny Stephens
St Kilda local Rebecca McCarthy said homelessness and crime plagued her area. She said she couldn’t leave anything outside because she’d had things stolen before.
“I feel like cleaning up the area a bit by giving them safe places to go would be good,” she said.
“You see more sirens and police cars. Driving down the road the other day and someone had been stabbed in St Kilda.”
St Kilda local Rebecca McCarthy.Credit: Penny Stephens
