Fed: Downer taking nothing for granted in fight to hold his seat

AAP General News (Australia)
08-30-2004
Fed: Downer taking nothing for granted in fight to hold his seat

CANBERRA, Aug 30 AAP - Foreign Minister Alexander Downer today said he was taking nothing
for granted in the battle to retain his South Australian seat of Mayo.

Mr Downer is being opposed in the election by independent Brian Deegan whose son Josh,
22, was killed in the Bali bombings.

Although Mr Downer holds Mayo by a margin of 14.3 per cent, he came close to losing
the seat at the 1998 election to Australian Democrat John Schumann.

Mr Downer said predicting the outcome in Mayo would be difficult, but he would do his
best during the campaign.

"I always think elections are difficult and I take nothing for granted," he told reporters.

"I am not in the game of forecasting, I do not know what the outcome will be, I just
know that I'll do my best."

Mr Downer said several candidates were running in Mayo.

"In this election I've got Mr Deegan as an independent, there's a Labor candidate,
there's a very active Greens candidate, there's a Democrat again and it's an area where
the Democrats have traditionally done well," he said.

"And then there's me and I think Family First will probably field a candidate."

AAP pj/sw/sco/jlw

KEYWORD: POLL04 MAYO DOWNER

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