Garland arrived at the Bennettswood Bowling Club in Burwood just before 9pm to chants of “Carina! Carina! Carina!” from the assembled crowd of more than 100 jubilant Labor members,volunteers and family. She waited until 10.30pm before claiming victory.
She thanked her supporters who together she said had knocked on 60,000 doors,phoned 72,000 people and had more than 25,000 conversations with voters in the seat.
She thanked a former Labor MP in the seat,Anna Burke,who was at the bowls club. Garland called Burke - who was very popular in the seat,which she held for 18 years – “Chisholm’s favourite MP,who showed me what it means to be a really hard-working,active local member of parliament.”
Garland said faith in politics was at a low ebb,and that she hoped to help restore the trust people had in government. “I hope to restore that trust. I hope to start with being part of a government that makes an integrity commission a reality. I hope,” she said,“to show people that when we say we’re going to do something,it means we’re going to do something - we’re actually going to deliver for the community.”
Asked byThe Age before her speech what had won her the seat,Garland said:“A lot of hard work.”
The seat of Chisholm has see-sawed between the major parties over the years,with Labor’s Anna Burke holding it until 2016,followed by the LNP’s Julia Banks,then Liu from 2019.