Vic: Davies on the outer after election loss

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Vic: Davies on the outer after election loss

By Darrin Barnett and Louise Robson

MELBOURNE, Dec 1 AAP - They say two out of three ain't bad.

But not if you ask former Victorian independent MP Susan Davies, until yesterday oneof three parliamentary musketeers who helped keep the minority Bracks government in checkover the past three years.

Ms Davies, who won the seat of Gippsland West in 1997 and held it for two terms, lostout to the state's electoral redistribution and Liberal stalwart Ken Smith.

Flanked by her family in the coastal town of Wonthaggi on election night, Ms Daviessaid she was proud of what she had achieved as an independent under the Kennett and Bracksgovernments.

"... there are gains that have been had by the people of Bass and I'm very proud ofwhat I've been able to achieve for them," Ms Davies said.

She said the redistribution, which eliminated her old seat of Gippsland West and incorporatedthe burgeoning outer-Melbourne suburb of Pakenham, had made re-election very difficult.

"I walked the boundaries the other day and I saw the creeping suburbs and I thought`I haven't seen any of those people in Pakenham, they're all commuting into Melbourne",Ms Davies said.

"My old fashioned type of country campaign isn't going to reach those people and I'vealways known it was going to be really difficult."

Gippsland East independent Craig Ingram scraped back into his seat with the help ofALP preferences and Mildura independent Russell Savage won a third term comfortably with52 per cent of the primary vote.

Mr Savage today said he was sorry to see Ms Davies lose her electoral battle, and saidit was ironic she had been squeezed out by Labor preferences and an active campaign againsther.

"I'm very disappointed," he told AAP.

"Susan was a great contributor to the parliament, and she was a good friend."

However, Mr Savage said he was not disappointed he was no longer holding the balanceof power in the Victorian parliament.

"I never wanted to be in that position ... (but) I think we've moved away from thephilosophy that unless you've got a member of the government you'll get nothing."

AAP db/jlw/jmd/sb

KEYWORD: POLLVIC INDEPENDENTS