Parapraxis Strikes Again

Thursday, 7 November 2002

Commenting on Melbourne city councillor Kevin Chamberlain's decision to quit the ALP and stand as an Independendent candidate in the seat of Melbourne at the upcoming Victorian State Election, Premier Steve Bracks remarked on ABC Local Radio this morning that it was an open secret that Mr Chamberlain had been wanting to stand for parliament for some time and that obviously Mr Chamberlain had decided to by-pass the ALP's normal pre-selection process. He concluded by saying that the ALP would "take him on in the marketplace".

If the Greens weren't also running a candidate in the inner city electorate Mr Chamberlain plans to contest, I would say that Mr Bracks' statement, and the evident confusion it displays, makes Mr Chamberlain a clear shoe-in for the seat. Even the most hard-line of our economic fundamentalists know the difference between a marketplace and an electorate (the former is a vital social institution, the latter is largely an irrelevancy) so it's disappointing to see a Labor Premier so muddled on this issue. Perhaps one of Mr Bracks' staffers could remind him of the significant differences between buying groceries and casting your vote.