By Garry Howe
The bookies have incumbent Coalition MP Jason Wood a raging hot favourite to retain La Trobe at Saturday’s Federal Election.
The TAB is offering odds of $1.01, or one cent return for every dollar invested, for Wood to win the seat for the seventh time, having won in 2004 and 2007, lost in 2010, returned in 2013 and then held the seat in 2016, 2019 and 2022.
Labor candidate Jeff Springfield is the 20-1 outsider and punters who like the prospect of any other candidate saluting are being offered odds of 11-1.
Mary Aldred is favourite to retain Monash for the Coalition, but incumbent Russell Broadbent, now running as an independent after losing endorsement to Aldred, is being kept very safe at $3.75. The ‘Any Other’ category (read the other key independent Deb Leonard) is at $5.50. Labor is the 26-1 outsider.
Further down the line in Gippsland, you can’t even lay a bet on Darren Chester retaining the seat for the Coalition. Punters who favour a Labor upset you can secure 17-1, or a win out of left field can fetch 26-1.
Further west, the bookies have the ALP squarely in the box seat to retain Bruce, Holt and Isaacs.
In Bruce, incumbent Julian Hill is a hot favourite at $1.08 and Liberal candidate Zahid Safi is considered a $6.50 chance.
Holt incumbent Cassandra Fernando is considered a $1.13 chance and her Coalition opponent Annette Samuel at $4.75.
In Isaacs, incumbent Mark Dreyfus is at an unbackable $1.03, ahead of the Coalition’s Fiona Ottey at 8-1.
Overall, the ALP’s Anthony Albanese is at $1.20 to form the next governemnt, with Peter Dutton at $4.50 and any other candidate 200-1.
