By ANEEKA SIMONIS
POLLING booths within the marginal seat of La Trobe are expected to be flanked by uniformed CFA firefighters in a show of defiance against the federal Labor party over the state CFA dispute.
Volunteers furious with Premier Daniel Andrews over claims that he plans to unionise the organisation have vowed to make the state issue a federal one, taking out their anger on Labor at the booths on 2 July.
The ALP candidate for La Trobe said he was not concerned by firefighters’ plans to blitz the electorate which is marginally held by Liberal Jason Wood with a 4 per cent margin.
“It is what it is if voters choose to vote on a state issue at a federal election. Most know it is a state matter,” he said, while out campaigning at the Berwick pre-poll.
United Firefighter Union (UFU) members are expected to face off with CFA members at the poll, handing out how-to-vote cards putting Liberals last.
But aggression from union members hit the electorate early.
Police were called to the Berwick pre-poll on Saturday 25 June in response to reports of abuse and intimidation toward Liberal volunteers.
It was reported to the Gazette that the man, thought to be a union firefighter, told volunteers he was going to make their lives “f**king hell”, but left before police arrived following calls from Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) employees.
Mr Wood said it was naive to suggest the state CFA dispute was irrelevant to the election, saying it would “most certainly hurt Labor” at the polls.
He said the federal Coalition will make protecting volunteer firefighters the first point of business if re-elected.
“On our first sitting week back in Parliament we will put legislation into the Lower House to ensure support for CFA volunteers,” Mr Wood said.
Polls show more than 40 per cent of marginal seat voters are less likely to vote Labor due to Mr Andrews’s handling of the CFA dispute.
No specific data was released in relation to the impact the dispute will have on La Trobe voters but Mr Wood said it was a key issue.
He did not say how confident he was on winning the election, while Mr Curtis predicted it is “going to come down to the wire”.
