McGuire for Broady:
23rd February 2011
Brighton businessman replaces Brumby as Labor MP
NEW Broadmeadows MP Frank McGuire has promised residents will never be forgotten by the Liberal State Government again. Labor retained the seat vacated by former premier John Brumby despite dropping about eight per cent in the primary vote compared to the November election.
With more than 77 per cent of the total vote counted on Sunday, Mr McGuire had 53.84 per cent of first preference votes. He was followed by independent candidates Celal Sahin on 19.69 per cent and Graeme Marr on 6.16 per cent, with six other candidates trailing behind. The Liberal Party did not run a candidate.
As Mr McGuire declared victory at the Hume Global Learning Centre on Saturday night he thanked the people of Broadmeadows for giving him a chance.
“This is an incredible honour and a privilege to represent the area in which I grew up and it means a lot to my family,” he said.
Mr McGuire said his priorities for Broadmeadows were jobs, training, lifelong learning, social cohesion and innovation.
He said he would stand up to the Liberal government to ensure that it did not forget Broadmeadows as it had in the past.
“I’m really going to take up the fight to ensure that we are never the forgotten people again,” he said. Mr McGuire’s campaign was marred by criticism about living in Brighton and not being an ALP member.
“Every man and his dog came out and had a shot, but in the end what have they done for the community?” he said.
“You have to ignore it, you have to take the hit and move on, you don’t get anything in Broadmeadows without a fight.”
Yuroke State Labor MP Liz Beattie led three cheers of congratulations for Mr McGuire at his victory party. Ms Beattie, Calwell Federal Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou and Hume Mayor Helen Patsikatheodorou said they were looking forward to working with Mr McGuire. “He is a Broadmeadows person, he has got a Broadmeadows heart and you’ll see that in his sense of social justice,” Ms Beattie said.
Mr McGuire, the older brother of media identity Eddie McGuire, grew up in Broadmeadows. He used his parents’ home near Olsen Place as a base during the campaign. He worked closely with all levels of government and big business as the founder of Hume’s Global Learning Village and is the founding chairman of the Hume Social Justice and Safe City Taskforce.
The previous Labor government nominated Mr McGuire for the international Metropolis Awards for his work on the Global Learning Village, which has helped promote lifelong learning in Hume.
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