Knocking on doors offers some insights

BY ALEX MCDONALD The Labor and Liberal pre-election door knocking campaigns have had some unexpected results. “We’ve realised nobody hates the Labor Party,” Dr Burgmann told The City News. “Nobody liked Michael Costa, but people have made the distinction between the different tiers, which I didn’t think they would.”
Dr Burgmann was also surprised to learn that some voters aren’t thrilled with the incumbent Lord Mayor’s performance over the past four years.
“They’re not as happy with Clover as I thought they might be, she said said. “A lot of people don’t like the decisions she’s made.”
Dr Burgmann believes Clover Moore’s dual role as the Member for Sydney has not played well among certain voters. “She’s never had to make decisions before. If you’re always in opposition you never have to do anything unpopular. And people are a bit fed up.” Edward Mandla of the Sydney Liberals said most of the people he met while door knocking were friendly and respectful. “It’s a difficult area to door knock,” he said, “as so many people are locked up and inaccessible in security apartments, which is a sign of the times.”
A surprise for Edward Mandla was the number of city residents from overseas who were not yet on the electoral roll. And like Dr Burgmann, he also encountered some anti-Clover sentiment. “The most consistent response when door knocking is ‘I used to like Clover Moore until I met her’. This probably explains why her staff do the knocking,” he said.
Lord Mayor Moore denied that she does not door knock herself, telling The City News: “This is my tenth election and I have doorknocked actively for each one.”