Sarah Witty v Adam Bandt: how an unlikely Labor champion took down a Greens giant

Melbourne was barely on the ALP’s radar as a seat it could win – but a sparsely funded campaign proved powerful

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Labor could hardly be considered a metaphorical David in most federal election contests. But in the progressive seat of Melbourne, where the now-beaten Greens leader Adam Bandt had reigned for 15 years, there are similarities to the oft-told biblical story.

On 28 March, when Anthony Albanese called an election date for May, Melbourne appeared on no one’s list as a battle to watch.

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