Labor’s Central Coast heartland returns at NSW state election in wake of ICAC scandals

IT was never going to be easy for the Coalition on a Hunter/Central Coast battleground ravaged by an ICAC scandal and strewn with the political careers of its former warriors.

How the lower house is playing out after the election.

IT was never going to be easy for the Coalition on a Hunter/Central Coast battleground ravaged by an ICAC scandal and strewn with the political careers of its former warriors.

Saturday's poll marked a return to normal programming in the traditional Labor heartland after the ALP wrested or retained control of most of the region's seats.

Many of the biggest shifts towards Labor occurred there, with some seats recording dramatic swings of more than 20 per cent.

Labor's Jodie Harrison, who retained the seat of Charlestown she has held since last year’s by-election. Picture: Liam Driver

Port Stephens, Maitland, Swansea and Wyong all fell to the ALP on Saturday, while the Liberals also look likely to lose The Entrance to Labor candidate David Mehan.

The party claimed two more seats in the region — Newcastle and Charlestown — in recent by-elections.

MORE NSW STATE ELECTION NEWS

State’s power assets could be sold to the public

Recriminations begin over Labor’s failings

Rise of the Greens machine continues

Retiring MPs get monster payday

Labor’s new rising star could have been a Lib

Libs the big winners with Chinese voters

Labor’s Central Coast heartland returns

Sitting members stood down due to the scandal and corruption that tainted the Liberal Party during last year’s ICAC hearings, which revealed they had accepted illegal donations and lied about doing so.

How the lower house is playing out after the election.

Port Stephens, held safely by former mayor Craig Baumann, is now in ALP hands after Mr Baumann was found to have covered up payments from developers during his 2007 election campaign. He did not seek re-election.

Voters said their decision to switch back to Labor was partly a result of what the ICAC investigations revealed.

Charlestown voter Ray Hector was a rusted-on Labor voter, but like many others switched sides in 2011 in search of change and a fresh start. But he wasn't going back for a second helping in 2015.

How the lower house is playing out after the election.

“I had a bit of a go with the Liberals but it didn't work out,’’ the 59-year-old said. ‘‘You want to know you are voting for someone who is transparent.’’

Former Newcastle Liberal MP Tim Owen and Charlestown MP Andrew Cornwell both resigned late last year and forced by-elections in each electorate, while former Swansea MP Garry Edwards resigned from the party but attempted to win re-election as an independent.

How the lower house is playing out after the election.

That effort fell flat as voters who still had the sour taste of scandal on their mind turned to Labor's Yasmine Catley. In Gosford, the Liberals’ Chris Holstein was likely to lose his seat to Labor’s Kathy Smith despite going into the election holding a margin of almost 12 per cent.

The weekend’s result was a far cry from the region’s 2011 ALP bloodbath, when it was the Liberals enjoying the spoils of their opponent’s high-profile scandals.

Harrison puts win down to trust

HOW times change. Four years ago, a Liberal candidate won a seat in the Lower Hunter for the first time.

Popular vet and political newcomer Andrew Cornwell rose to the fore, but then came an ICAC investigation that revealed he had accepted $10,000 in illegal donations from then-Newcastle Lord Mayor Jeff McCloy.

Mr Cornwell resigned last August, opening the door for Lake Macquarie mayor Jodie Harrison to comfortably win the seat back for the ALP. Six months on and she retained that position on Saturday, this time against stiffer competition from Liberal candidate Jason Pauling.

Labor's Jodie Harrison, who retained the seat of Charlestown she has held since last year’s by-election. Picture: Liam Driver

"The results are an endorsement of Labor's policies in relation to electricity privatisation, jobs, health and education," she said. "But there is also a desire from people in the area to have elected members they can trust."

The swing in Charlestown from 2011, expected to be more than 22 per cent, is one of the largest towards the ALP across NSW. Not that Ms Harrison is taking the safety of her seat for granted. “The demographics of Charlestown have changed, but there is a long history in this area of people who have real working backgrounds and a commitment to equality.”