By “On the Ground in Melbourne”

As expected in one of the closest races in the country, the last week has been a tornado of activity.

Although there have been reports of tense moments reported at pre-polling stations, these haven’t been overly serious but reflect the intensity with which the Greens and the ALP have been campaigning.

There has been a huge build up over the last few days. A definite electricity is in the air, especially if you travel in political circles.

If you look carefully beyond the cafes and bars, you can see the teams of door-knockers and people stuffing letterboxes.  As letterboxes and doors in key parts of the electorate have been relentlessly stuffed and knocked, relief is nearly at hand for residents.  Sh!t sheets haven’t really featured too much in this campaign by all accounts but there’s still time for some last minute mud-slinging.

The online ‘battle’ has also ramped up over the last few days.  Just like letterboxes, in boxes are also being filled with pleas for last minute efforts to convince people to vote one way or another; or to staff polling booths.

There’s now less than 24 hours now before polls open and we can expect to see vigorous efforts by all parties to ensure everyone gets a “How-to-Vote” card.

For the Greens it could mean history with an Adam Bandt election and bringing the Greens closer to its first seat in the Senate for Victoria.  For Labor, it is all about holding a seat it has held for 106 years – an important seat for the Party and the true-believers.