A fierce federal election race for Wannon, a fleeting visit by soon-to-be deposed prime minister Kevin Rudd and a change of state government that turned three local MPs into ministers capped off a year when those in power started paying some attention to the region.

Warm summer days marked a rather subdued start to 2010. Former government policy adviser Dan Tehan had won the much sought-after Liberal Party preselection the previous year to replace retiring MP David Hawker and was establishing a local profile after moving from Melbourne to Hamilton.

Hamilton vet Katrina Rainsford then flagged her intention to stand as an independent candidate after losing Liberal preselection is September 2009 and defecting from the party soon after.

Labor candidate Judith McNamara was a late starter to the campaign.

Preselected by Labor in late 2009, she was noticeably absent until June when she finally threw her hat into the ring.

She was later joined by Moyne Shire mayor James Purcell, Port Fairy agricultural lobbyist Ralph Leutton, Allansford security guard Robert O’Brien and quirky poultry farmer Allan “Swampy” Marsh as independent candidates for the blue-ribbon seat.

The battle for Wannon had already kicked off in 2009 but the animosity and bitterness in the race for the federal electorate was to test the mettle of any political aspirant.

Despite the obvious lack of an incumbent MP, media attention and public interest in the race was at a level not seen in more than a decade.

To contrast: a 2007 election debate staged at Deakin University attracted barely a handful of attendees. However, three years later, The Standard’s election forum was packed out with more than 300 audience members.

Criticism between candidates and their supporters was particularly heated in the lead-up to the August 21 poll.

Greens candidate Lisa Owen criticised Ms McNamara for dishonesty over her role in community organisations, Dr Rainsford and supporters attacked Mr Tehan over his business credentials, Ms McNamara rebuked Dr Rainsford’s handling of preferences and Cr Purcell dismissed both Mr Tehan and Ms McNamara as not having local experience to represent the area.

In one of the more bizarre incidents to come out of the campaign, a leaked email highlighting correspondence between Greens candidate Lisa Owen and fellow state runner Marcus Ward showed support within Greens ranks for a refugee processing centre based in the old Fletcher Jones factory.

Mrs Owen was an enthusiastic backer of the quirky proposal until a conversation with party headquarters changed her mind.

A deluge of advertising for the Wannon race was unprecedented.

Wall-to-wall television commercials by the Tehan campaign screened during AFL finals made fellow publicity rivals Dr Rainsford and Mr Leutton appear like amateurs and ensured the brand was recognised.

On the other side, Labor barely managed a leaflet.

The Standard revealed after the campaigning was done and dusted that total major party spend for Corangamite was $600 million.

In Wannon, it was barely one per cent at $7 million in total pledges.

This lack of funding led frustrated south-west mayors to pressure all nine candidates to make some sort of pledge to upgrade the Princes Highway.

Anti-party sentiment in the region during the 2010 election was reflected at the ballot box on August 21.

On first preferences, the Liberal vote was hit with a 5.94 per cent swing against it, which was the second-worst for the party across Victoria after the Lalor electorate, which was held by newly-installed Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Mr Tehan’s share of first preferences was the lowest for a Liberal candidate in Wannon since 1983.

Wannon results were even worse for Labor, which suffered a massive 6.74 swing against it, again the second-worst for Labor after the disastrous campaign led by unionist Cath Bowtell in Melbourne.

Ms McNamara also gained the dubious distinction of gaining the least amount of votes for a Labor candidate in the 110-year history of the electorate.

Even minor parties were hit.

Mrs Owen was one of the few Greens candidates across Australia to record a negative first preference swing.

Despite these results, when it came down to the all important two-party preferred vote, Mr Tehan managed to hold the 57 per cent margin secured by Mr Hawker at the 2007 federal election.

If the race for Wannon was heated, the campaign for south-west state seats barely created a spark, with election campaign fatigue setting in for most voters during the latter half of the year despite high-profile visits.

Former premier John Brumby came to Warrnambool to promote his government’s investment in the rescue chopper and then-opposition leader Ted Baillieu countered with a commitment to fund radiotherapy services as espoused by the Peter’s Project campaign.

The region’s crumbling roads were again the source of much debate, as was the cost of living and renewable energy investment.

Cr Purcell went all-out for a second tilt at parliament, this time against incumbent South West Coast MP Denis Napthine.

The Port Fairy accountant gained publicity for advocating boot camp for wayward teenagers, a proposal later adopted by John Brumby.

Portland union representative John Herbertson put his hand up as Labor candidate in October and was largely inconspicuous up to election day.

Warrnambool graphic designer Jack Howard, son of 1980s rock singer Shane, stood for The Greens, livestock agent Tony Arscott represented the little-known Country Alliance Party and anti sex-shop campaigner Craig Haberfield put his hand up for Family First.

There were pledges galore for South West Coast compared to Wannon, possibly due to its marginal seat status.

Ted Baillieu pledged $5 million for radiotherapy, cutting red tape to establish the Portland helipad and a cash-injection for the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic.

John Brumby countered with a new mental health care centre in Warrnambool, a mobile MRI machine for the south-west and increased investment in the region’s renewable energy projects.

Dr Napthine was the south-west’s big winner at the November 27 state poll.

Not only did the former vet increase his first-preference vote, he also swung South West Coast into safe territory on close to 12 per cent — a remarkable feat given the seat was a knife-edge marginal at the 2002 state election.

The South West Coast MP and fellow Western District parliamentarians Hugh Delahunty and Terry Mulder all gained ministerial positions in the new Baillieu government.

To cap off the year, Dr Napthine pledged to implement a radiotherapy centre in the south-west within the Coalition’s first term of government.

The news was met with jubilation from Peter’s Project founder Vicki Jellie, who generated massive public pressure throughout 2010 to secure an integrated cancer centre in the region.

The year was book-ended with high-profile leadership visits.

Ousted prime minister Kevin Rudd made an impromptu stop-over in Warrnambool in February to meet with Leon and Joan Davey for a casual barbecue lunch. Despite a high level of secrecy surrounding the event, The Standard was there to cover it all.

Likewise, opposition leader Tony Abbott, wearing his iconic “budgie smugglers”, indulged in a barbecue breakfast in Port Fairy as part of a south-west tour in December.