ALP stalwart Michael Danby is facing pressure to bow out of contention for the federal seat of Melbourne Ports next election, ending a near-20-year stranglehold.
The veteran MP and ardent Israel supporter is the subject of an internal push at state and federal levels not to recontest the marginal seat, which has a large Jewish community, as the Liberals and the Greens sharpen their view on a fierce three-way contest.
Changing demographics and an influx of young professionals in the inner-city area that neighbours the Greens-held seat of Melbourne have put Labor’s 3.6 per cent margin under unprecedented threat, prompting some insiders to demand a fresh candidate.
Ari Suss, a Linfox executive and former staffer to ex-Victorian premier Steve Bracks, has been widely named as a potential successor, but Mr Danby said he still backed his chances to win. “I’ve made no decision. I’ve won Melbourne Ports seven times. Understandably the Liberals and Greens fear my ongoing presence. That’s good,” he told The Australian.
Read the full article by Samantha Hutchinson at The Australian (subscription only).