Wednesday, 21 November 2018

Victorian Election Predictions - Legislative Assembly

The Victorian Legislative Assembly has 88 seats. All but seven of these came down to a Labor-Liberal or Labor-National contest in 2014, and the boundaries have not been adjusted since before then. These two-party results are represented below as the 'ALP margin': The more positive, the more Labor won the seat by in 2014, the more negative, the more the Coalition won by.


Seat ALP Margin 4.0% Swing
Albert Park  3.0% 7.0%
Altona  12.6% 16.6%
Bass  -4.6% -0.6%
Bayswater  -4.6% -0.6%
Bellarine  4.8% 8.8%
Benambra  -9.7% -5.7%
Bendigo East  5.0% 9.0%
Bendigo West  12.2% 16.2%
Bentleigh  0.8% 4.8%
Box Hill  -5.7% -1.7%
Brighton  -9.8% -5.8%
Broadmeadows  27.8% 31.8%
Brunswick

Bulleen  -10.6% -6.6%
Bundoora  12.2% 16.2%
Buninyong  6.4% 10.4%
Burwood  -3.2% 0.8%
Carrum  0.7% 4.7%
Caulfield  -4.9% -0.9%
Clarinda  15.8% 19.8%
Cranbourne  2.3% 6.3%
Croydon  -9.3% -5.3%
Dandenong  12.9% 16.9%
Eildon  -3.8% 0.2%
Eltham  2.7% 6.7%
Essendon  8.7% 12.7%
Euroa  -14.5% -10.5%
Evelyn  -9.6% -5.6%
Ferntree Gully  -7.8% -3.8%
Footscray  14.5% 18.5%
Forest Hill  -4.8% -0.8%
Frankston  0.5% 4.5%
Geelong  6.0% 10.0%
Gembrook  -9.0% -5.0%
Gippsland East  -17.9% -13.9%
Gippsland South  -15.7% -11.7%
Hastings  -7.6% -3.6%
Hawthorn  -8.6% -4.6%
Ivanhoe  3.4% 7.4%
Kew  -10.6% -6.6%
Keysborough  11.9% 15.9%
Kororoit  20.0% 24.0%
Lara  17.1% 21.1%
Lowan  -21.3% -17.3%
Macedon  3.8% 7.8%
Malvern  -16.3% -12.3%
Melbourne

Melton  11.2% 15.2%
Mildura

Mill Park  19.9% 23.9%
Monbulk  5.0% 9.0%
Mordialloc  2.1% 6.1%
Mornington  -12.6% -8.6%
Morwell  -1.8% 2.2%
Mount Waverley  -4.6% -0.6%
Mulgrave  4.5% 8.5%
Murray Plains  -22.4% -18.4%
Narracan  -11.3% -7.3%
Narre Warren North  4.6% 8.6%
Narre Warren South  5.5% 9.5%
Nepean  -7.6% -3.6%
Niddrie  7.7% 11.7%
Northcote

Oakleigh  8.2% 12.2%
Ovens Valley  -16.6% -12.6%
Pascoe Vale  16.8% 20.8%
Polwarth  -10.6% -6.6%
Prahran

Preston  24.7% 28.7%
Richmond

Ringwood  -5.1% -1.1%
Ripon  -0.8% 3.2%
Rowville  -8.4% -4.4%
Sandringham  -7.3% -3.3%
Shepparton

South Barwon  -2.9% 1.1%
South-West Coast  -11.0% -7.0%
St Albans  17.5% 21.5%
Sunbury  4.3% 8.3%
Sydenham  16.3% 20.3%
Tarneit  14.6% 18.6%
Thomastown  28.4% 32.4%
Warrandyte  -11.6% -7.6%
Wendouree  5.8% 9.8%
Werribee  15.7% 19.7%
Williamstown  16.5% 20.5%
Yan Yean  3.7% 7.7%
Yuroke  18.5% 22.5%

The ALP received 52.0% of the two-party vote in 2014, while the latest polling has them at 56.0%. This is a 4% swing to Labor, which is applied above to calculate where seats would fall if this swing were universal and consistent. Though this does not represent the reality, it is the only way I have at present of applying the polling data. The results form the basis of the following predictions.


Seat Prediction
Albert Park  ALP
Altona  ALP
Bass  LIB
Bayswater  LIB
Bellarine  ALP
Benambra  LIB
Bendigo East  ALP
Bendigo West  ALP
Bentleigh  ALP
Box Hill  LIB
Brighton  LIB
Broadmeadows  ALP
Brunswick
Bulleen  LIB
Bundoora  ALP
Buninyong  ALP
Burwood  ALP
Carrum  ALP
Caulfield  LIB
Clarinda  ALP
Cranbourne  ALP
Croydon  LIB
Dandenong  ALP
Eildon  ALP
Eltham  ALP
Essendon  ALP
Euroa  NAT
Evelyn  LIB
Ferntree Gully  LIB
Footscray  ALP
Forest Hill  LIB
Frankston  ALP
Geelong  ALP
Gembrook  LIB
Gippsland East  NAT
Gippsland South  NAT
Hastings  LIB
Hawthorn  LIB
Ivanhoe  ALP
Kew  LIB
Keysborough  ALP
Kororoit  ALP
Lara  ALP
Lowan  NAT
Macedon  ALP
Malvern  LIB
Melbourne
Melton  ALP
Mildura
Mill Park  ALP
Monbulk  ALP
Mordialloc  ALP
Mornington  LIB
Morwell  ALP
Mount Waverley  LIB
Mulgrave  ALP
Murray Plains  NAT
Narracan  LIB
Narre Warren North  ALP
Narre Warren South  ALP
Nepean  LIB
Niddrie  ALP
Northcote
Oakleigh  ALP
Ovens Valley  NAT
Pascoe Vale  ALP
Polwarth  LIB
Prahran
Preston  ALP
Richmond
Ringwood  LIB
Ripon  ALP
Rowville  LIB
Sandringham  LIB
Shepparton IND
South Barwon  ALP
South-West Coast  LIB
St Albans  ALP
Sunbury  ALP
Sydenham  ALP
Tarneit  ALP
Thomastown  ALP
Warrandyte  LIB
Wendouree  ALP
Werribee  ALP
Williamstown  ALP
Yan Yean  ALP
Yuroke  ALP

Five of the remaining seats had the Greens in the final count. A swing in these seats is taken by comparing the percentage of the primary vote the winning party gained of the total votes between the two parties (2014 % = Incumbent2014/(Incumbent2014 + Second2014) * 100%) with the same value based on the latest polling (Polling % = IncumbentPoll/(IncumbentPoll +SecondPoll ) * 100%). In other words, Swing = Polling % - 2014 %.

This swing in percentage points is added to the incumbent's margin to give the prediction below.


Seat Incumbent Margin 2014 Result Polling Result Second Party 2014 Result Polling Result 2014 % Polling % Swing Prediction
Brunswick  ALP 2.2% 38.1% 40.4% GRN 11.5% 10.3% 76.8% 79.7% 2.9% 5.1% ALP
Melbourne  GRN 2.4% 11.5% 10.3% ALP 38.1% 40.4% 23.2% 20.3% -2.9% -0.5% ALP
Northcote  GRN 5.6% 11.5% 10.3% ALP 38.1% 40.4% 23.2% 20.3% -2.9% 2.7% GRN
Prahran  GRN 0.4% 11.5% 10.3% LIB* 42.0% 36.8% 21.5% 21.9% 0.4% 0.8% GRN
Richmond  ALP 1.9% 38.1% 40.4% GRN 11.5% 10.3% 76.8% 79.7% 2.9% 4.8% ALP
*Although the second party is the Liberal Party, the way the polling data was collected requires the values for the Nationals to also be included.

The remaining two seats are Mildura and Shepparton, both contested in 2014 between the Nationals and an Independent. Mildura was won by the Nationals against Ali Cupper who is running again. By the time the Nationals had reached 52% in the count, Cupper was at 28% -- an impressive result for an independent, but not enough to make the Nationals anything but the favourite to win.

In Shepparton, Independent Suzanna Sheed outpolled everyone else in 2014, taking the seat from Nationals' control for the first time since its 1967 reincarnation. She is also running again, with greater name recognition.

I have awarded both of these seats in my final prediction to their current incumbents.


Seat Prediction
Albert Park  ALP
Altona  ALP
Bass  LIB
Bayswater  LIB
Bellarine  ALP
Benambra  LIB
Bendigo East  ALP
Bendigo West  ALP
Bentleigh  ALP
Box Hill  LIB
Brighton  LIB
Broadmeadows  ALP
Brunswick ALP
Bulleen  LIB
Bundoora  ALP
Buninyong  ALP
Burwood  ALP
Carrum  ALP
Caulfield  LIB
Clarinda  ALP
Cranbourne  ALP
Croydon  LIB
Dandenong  ALP
Eildon  ALP
Eltham  ALP
Essendon  ALP
Euroa  NAT
Evelyn  LIB
Ferntree Gully  LIB
Footscray  ALP
Forest Hill  LIB
Frankston  ALP
Geelong  ALP
Gembrook  LIB
Gippsland East  NAT
Gippsland South  NAT
Hastings  LIB
Hawthorn  LIB
Ivanhoe  ALP
Kew  LIB
Keysborough  ALP
Kororoit  ALP
Lara  ALP
Lowan  NAT
Macedon  ALP
Malvern  LIB
Melbourne ALP
Melton  ALP
Mildura NAT
Mill Park  ALP
Monbulk  ALP
Mordialloc  ALP
Mornington  LIB
Morwell  ALP
Mount Waverley  LIB
Mulgrave  ALP
Murray Plains  NAT
Narracan  LIB
Narre Warren North  ALP
Narre Warren South  ALP
Nepean  LIB
Niddrie  ALP
Northcote GRN
Oakleigh  ALP
Ovens Valley  NAT
Pascoe Vale  ALP
Polwarth  LIB
Prahran GRN
Preston  ALP
Richmond ALP
Ringwood  LIB
Ripon  ALP
Rowville  LIB
Sandringham  LIB
Shepparton IND
South Barwon  ALP
South-West Coast  LIB
St Albans  ALP
Sunbury  ALP
Sydenham  ALP
Tarneit  ALP
Thomastown  ALP
Warrandyte  LIB
Wendouree  ALP
Werribee  ALP
Williamstown  ALP
Yan Yean  ALP
Yuroke  ALP

This gives Labor a clear majority with 52 seats of a required 45.

I have some personal reservations about this prediction that cannot be quantified. I feel that Melbourne's left-leaning demographic, Greens federal and state representatives and focus of Greens campaigning will see a stemming and perhaps reversal in the seat of the state-wide decline in Greens support. Therefore, I would expect Melbourne to stay with the Greens. Prahran will depend entirely on whether the ALP outpolls the Greens in a three-way race, though I do not expect the Liberal Party to win this seat. Effective sandbagging will probably also hold of some of the predicted ALP gains, particularly in Morwell and Ripon. These observations are not empirical, however, and are not reflected in the prediction above.