Labor favourite in Vic by-election

Victorian Labor candidate Martin Pakula is expected to win the Lyndhurst by-election on April 27. Source: AAP

LABOR faces no real danger of losing the Melbourne electorate of Lyndhurst at next weekend's by-election.

Former shadow treasurer Tim Holding triggered the contest for the outer south-eastern seat when he resigned in February.

He was first elected MP for Springvale in 1999 and returned in 2002 after a redistribution in which the seat was re-named Lyndhurst.

Mr Holding won more than 55 per cent of the primary vote at the last state poll and was 13.9 per cent ahead of the Liberals on a two-party preferred basis.

Labor is likely to win Saturday's race comfortably given the Liberal Party is not fielding a candidate and the Greens achieved little more than six per cent of the primary vote in 2010.

Lyndhurst includes parts of Springvale, Noble Park and Keysborough as well as Dandenong South and Hampton Park.

Almost half its electors are overseas born and more than a quarter are manufacturing workers with local glass, dairy, pharmaceutical and other factories.

ALP candidate Martin Pakula is the favourite in a field of eight candidates comprised of the Greens, the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Family First, the Sex Party and three independents.

Mr Pakula is using the by-election to move into the lower house from the Legislative Council, where he represented the western metropolitan region.

He says the issues most concerning Lyndhurst constituents are jobs, local roads and TAFE cuts.

The Chisholm Institute of TAFE, which has a campus in the neighbouring electorate, has lost $30 million in funding cuts and about 200 jobs as part of state government reforms.

"I have been down at Noble Park footy club, I've been at the Cambodian festival - I've been everywhere," Mr Pakula said.

"I've treated the by-election as if it's a one per cent seat."

Greens candidate Nina Springle, who contested the seat at the last state election, is campaigning on closing the local toxic waste dump, increased bus services and building a new primary school in Keysborough.

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