About 2km away, at a cafe on the intersection of High Street and the tree-lined Grandview Grove in Prahran, Simone White and Tam, who live in Malvern, are discussing the election when we approach them.
Dr Katie Allen managed to retain the seat for the Liberals but her margin slipped to just 3.9%. Following a redistribution ahead of this election, in which Higgins lost part of Glen Iris and all of Hughesdale but gained Windsor, her margin has shrunk further, to 2.6%.
Semmens says she understands the current rental crisis from her own personal experience of it. After her marriage ended in 2016, Sonya rented for a few months before being evicted by the landlord, who wanted to renovate. She and her two children were homeless for period of three months after about a dozen rental applications were rejected.
Ananda-Raja cites climate change, intergenerational inequality and the need for a federal integrity commission are the main issues people raise with her, as well as their dislike for Morrison.
McCarthy says Morrison got the country through Covid-19 and there was no need for change.
