Election 2016: Track the views of voters along the 75 tram

Updated

Voters along Melbourne's longest tramline will help decide some of the city's most marginal seats. But if the voters are any guide, the candidates face a chorus of confusion, disinterest and disenchantment.

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The tram begins its journey in the marginal seat of Deakin in Melbourne's east.

It is brisk, and barely dawn, as Nadeen waits for the 75 to take him to Deakin University.

"I've got experiments to run so I'm getting in early," says Nadeen, one of many people interviewed for this story who did not want their surname used.

He is three months into his science honours year and has had no time to pay attention to the federal election campaign.

"I just haven't been following it to be honest," he said.

Fellow Deakin student Andy Chan, who is in his first year studying commerce and science, hasn't been following the election either.

"I haven't had time to because there's going to be exams soon," Andy says.

Andy hasn't decided who he'll vote for, but says the issue that most concerns him is international relations.

Nadeen will be voting Labor, but says he would like to see more honesty from both major parties.

"They sweet coat everything before the election," he said.

I actually support Mr Abbott, he's a genuine guy... Mr Turnbull is politics. Alice Chang

Enjoying a day off from her family's retail business, Alice Chang says she would like to see more government support for small businesses like hers.

"Aldi and Coles, they're just too strong," she says.

While she used to support Labor, she now votes Liberal but says she is disappointed to not be able to vote for a Tony Abbott-led Coalition.

"I actually support Mr Abbott, he's a genuine guy ... Mr Turnbull is politics," she says.

Retired public servant Peter Sutton sits in the beer garden of a large suburban pub backing onto Springvale Road.

It soon becomes apparent he is not a fan of the Coalition, especially Treasurer Scott Morrison.

"He's not worth two knobs of goat dust," he says.

Not that he supports Labor either.

"I'm not terribly impressed with either party, quite truthfully," he says.

"I'm going to vote independent, and then I'll have to consider what my second preferences may well be."

As the 75 tram trundles on through Burwood East it enters the key electorate of Chisholm.

Former Labor speaker Anna Burke is retiring from the seat, having held it since 1998, and it is expected to be a tight contest.

I begrudge the fact that there's no engineering base whatsoever in Australia — I think it's an insult. Joseph Borg

The issue of negative gearing has swayed retired mechanical engineer Joseph Borg to vote Labor, but there is another issue for which he is more passionate.

He says Australia was a "wonderful world" when he arrived from Malta as a young man but believes the nation is now suffering from neglect.

"I begrudge the fact that there's no engineering base whatsoever in Australia — I think it's an insult," he says.

"I think it's an indictment to the management of Australia, all the governments that have gone past, who have not looked after our people first and foremost."

He says he would like to see Australia take on a major project such as high-speed rail.

"People say it's absolutely unviable for Australia because it's too expensive," he says.

"My answer to that is plain Australian — do you mind if I use plain Australian? Bullshit."



Between working and renovating a house, Ben — who did not want his picture taken for this story — says he's been too busy to follow the election.

"I just haven't been watching TV, I haven't been reading the paper," he says.

He says he will base his vote come July 2 on his impressions of the candidates.



"Someone who's nicer looking and speaks nicer really, to be honest, because that's all you can go by," he says.

Ben is a subcontractor and says he would like the Government to make tax compliance easier.

"When it comes to tax time we're all finding it hard to keep up with the paperwork," he says.

Angela Laskaridis says she is a swing voter and has one major concern when it comes to this election.

"More jobs, better jobs and more for the younger kids when they come out of school," she says.

"I've got teenagers so, you know, I don't really know what they're going to do for the future.

"It would be good to see whether there are jobs out there for them in the long run."

She says she "will be voting" although she doesn't know who for just yet.

"It's a bit hard to tell, they don't always keep their promises — it's hard to trust I think."

As the 75 crosses the intersection onto Toorak Road it enters safe Liberal Party territory, flanked by the electorates of Higgins and Kooyong.

I think so many people are unsure of one party or the other, so it's going to be close. Robyn White

Burwood resident Robyn White is at nearby Fordham Gardens walking her dogs Pinot and Minty.

She says she is "confused and unsure" about the policies of the major parties and has yet to decide who she will vote for.

"I was brought up Labor all my life but I think I might be going towards the Greens this time."



She says she initially had high hopes that Malcolm Turnbull could solve many of the nation's problems but has been disappointed.

"He doesn't seem to have done a lot," she says.

"I think it's going to be a hung parliament.

"I think so many people are unsure of one party or the other, so it's going to be close."

Physiotherapist Rachael Clements says she believes the public is confused by the policy positions of the major parties.

"I know I am," she says.

Rachael says she will decide who to vote for based on the issue of marriage equality.

"I just think it's something that Australia is behind on.

"It's something that should happen; it seems silly that we haven't come forward and changed things."

She says she's planning to visit the ABC's Vote Compass website in order to help her decide who to vote for.

Nicholas Ghorbani says when the Greens recently approached him in the street, he was expecting to be swayed to vote for them for the first time.

Instead, he walked away unimpressed.

"They didn't have very much information," he says.

He says Bill Shorten seems to be driven by public relations whereas he has been impressed by Malcolm Turnbull.

"I find him to be a lot better than the last prime minister — I didn't like him at all."

Jodi Williams is a secondary school teacher, PhD student and mother of three young children.

She says the issue of asylum seekers will decide who gets her vote on polling day.

"I'm not saying there's a right answer, I don't know what the answer is."

However she says she finds offshore processing "really troubling".

"I think about myself fleeing with my children. You would do whatever you could to protect them.

"I think we could be more compassionate in our response to that."



When Graham was 18 he voted Labor, but he has voted Liberal ever since he got into the business world.

"It's an economy — it's about dollars and cents.

"At the end of the day, without business, people are unemployed."

He says he is most concerned by the scale of government debt.

"They've got massive debt — and when I say they, I mean us, the taxpayer.

"Massive, massive debt, and it's got to be paid back."

Church Street marks the eastern boundary of the electorate of Melbourne, currently the only House of Representatives seat held by the Greens.

Richmond resident Megan Sloley has never voted Liberal in her life but that may change this year.

The self-described "lefty" voted for the Greens at the past two federal elections in protest over what she says is an "ineffective" Labor Party.

She says she does not trust current Labor leader Bill Shorten and that Malcolm Turnbull may get her vote if he can convince her that he's serious about social issues such as same-sex marriage and the republic.

"It would be an extraordinary thing for me to vote for Turnbull, but at this stage he'd be more palatable than Shorten," she says.

"Shorten is such an unattractive proposition."

If all else fails, she will vote Green once again.

Alice Cummins will be overseas on polling day and has expended a lot of effort to make sure she is still able to vote.

"It was so difficult to get the postal vote, unnecessarily difficult," she says.

She says her "profound concern" for the environment and refugees means she will be voting Green.

Alice says she turned to the Greens after Julia Gillard was toppled as prime minister.

"I think losing Julia Gillard was devastating for me as a feminist, and I think it's devastating for this country."

Having travelled more than 20 kilometres, the 75 tram ends its journey outside Docklands Stadium.

We don't want to go the way of Greece, but we're heading that way rapidly. Roger Gardner

Roger Gardner has been living in Docklands for more than a decade and keeps busy despite being retired.

"I'm president of the Docklands Community Association and also president of the Owner's Corporation Network Victoria," he says.

A trained economist, Roger says the most important issue of the election is not being discussed by either party.

"The thing that is not being said in the campaign — and is the top priority — is to reduce the deficit.

"We're paying $1 billion per month in interest ... you have to cut down expenditure severely and increase your revenue as much as possible.

"We don't want to go the way of Greece, but we're heading that way rapidly."

He says voters "who don't think very deeply" may be convinced to vote Labor, but he expects the Turnbull Government to be re-elected.

"I think the Liberals will win it quite easily, despite our leftist media," he says.

Tell us which issues will sway your vote this election: Visit ABC Open's My Vote.

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Topics: federal-elections, federal-government, federal-parliament, elections, government-and-politics, people, vermont-south-3133, camberwell-3124, richmond-3121, docklands-3008, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

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