Live coverage of the 2023 state election vote on the North Coast
From Coffs Harbour to the Tweed and west to Lismore and the Clarence, votes have now been cast to decide the next NSW state government. Follow our live updates.
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Every northern NSW electorate has been called – and we’ve been here every step of the way.
Tens of thousands of voters have decided who will represent them in state parliament for the next four years.
Dominic Perrottet has conceded defeat, calling Labor leader Chris Minns to congratulate him on winning the 2023 NSW election.
Check out how it unfolded throughout the day, from the booths to the backrooms, below.
Greens secure Ballina
Tamara Smith has retained the seat of Ballina after a concession call from the Nationals candidate Josh Booyens.
What started as a neck-and-neck competition between the Nationals and the Greens ended up as a win for the Greens with a 58.2 per cent lead (at the time of publication).
Ms Smith said she was grateful for the win and for the support of the community.
“I’m exhausted, but I’m just so happy about the community response,” she said.
With a 10 per cent swing in Ms Smith’s favour, the overall election is looking positive for Labor, which was just one seat away from taking government at the time of publication.
The Ballina seat has historically been held by the National Party, with Don Page in power from 1988 until his retirement in 2015.
Another victory for Nats in Clarence
Richie Williamson has snagged the seat of Clarence, retaining the seat for the Nationals on the back of the retirement of sitting MP Chris Gulaptis.
Mr Williamson’s spirits were high after election experts gave him the nod.
“It’s a pretty cheery atmosphere,” he said after managing a margin of 13.5 per cent, according to News Corp analysts.
“I’m full of emotions, but it’s so pleasing to see this. It amplifies our past and what we’ve worked so hard to achieve.”
Mr Williamson said politics was ultimately about the people.
“This is for the people of the Clarence Valley. I thank them for their support and will represent with pride, passion and vigour,” he said.
Mr Williamson said he was ready to get to work, despite being in opposition.
“I want to work with the incoming government in a constructive and productive way,” he said.
Mr Williamson said he will be advocating for people to get “their fair share”.
“I’ve learned a lot about our issues through Chris (Gulaptis) and through talking with people in the past six months,” he said.
Nats MP set to lock in Tweed for fifth term
Tweed MP Geoff Provest appeared set to retain the seat for the fifth time with less than a quarter of the vote counted.
The ABC already called the seat in his favour at 23 per cent of the vote counted, with Labor hopeful Craig Elliot appearing destined to fall short.
News Corp analysts were not so sure, however, and had not made a similar call as of 10pm on election night.
Despite the uncertainty, Mr Provest credited the other candidates as he celebrated his re-election.
“It’s a real honour and I’m always humbled – I’ve often said it’s not up to me but it’s up to the good people of the Tweed that actually chooses,” he said.
Mr Provest explained he was one of the few members of the former Liberal government who has previously been in opposition back in 2007.
“My whole goal is to look after the Tweed not the rest of NSW, what the Libs do, what Labor does isn’t really my priority,” he said.
“That’s why I’m known in parliament as Mr 100 per cent for the Tweed.”
Labor contender Craig Elliot refused to concede and said he believed every vote would count.
“Let’s wait till the booths are actually counted everyone deserves to have their voice and their vote heard,” he said.
Coffs MP good as gold
The fat lady hadn’t begun to Singh, but there was no corking the festive mood at The Nationals election party night at a CWA hall in Coffs Harbour.
Election analysts have now agreed sitting MP Gurmesh Singh will return to parliament for another term.
The former Nationals member for the seat of Coffs Andrew Fraser was whirling away on a whiteboard, crunching numbers as results from the booths started to rain in.
“We seem to be up in primaries,” Mr Singh said.
While he was reluctant to call the seat, supporters weren’t so shy.
“You’ve got 65 per cent (of first preference votes)”, one woman said as she tried to congratulate Mr Singh above the excited din.
The room was full of energy – including many from the Indian community.
Young children raced about, and for the peckish, there were trays of samosas.
Mr Singh said he was sweating on the large booth of Toormina High School to report, and also Korora.
“It’s great to see so many of my family here. They know how much work has been involved over the past four years,” he said.
Ever cautious, Mr Singh said a result might not be confirmed until the sizeable number of pre-polls are tallied on Monday.
Sally Townley, a City of Coffs Harbour councillor, has conceded the ask of unseating Mr Singh was a bridge too far - at least in 2023.
“It would need a 10 per cent swing - that’s massive,” she said.
But across the campaign she could sniff a whiff of change.
“You can see that the demographic is shifting, with lots of new people coming to the area,” she said.
Labor retains Lismore
Labor will retain the seat of Lismore after a massive 16.5 per cent swing towards the party in the last 15 minutes, according to News Corp election analysts.
But the Nationals contender believes it’s too early to call.
The Nationals banked hopes of regaining its former stronghold with candidate Alex Rubin, against incumbent Janelle Saffin.
Mr Rubin has no hope of claiming the seat, according to vote forecasts.
“The dust hasn’t settled,” he said.
Mr Rubin said the ABC calling the election now was “a bit premature” – but News Corp analysts have also called a Labor win.
“Let’s wait and see how the vote goes,” he said.
“We’re well aware we are fighting an uphill battle here.
“Whoever wins in this election, I just hope the seat of Lismore and the people in this region get the flood recovery and the assistance they need.”
Ms Saffin said she was “quite shocked at the result”.
“The community has really rallied around me and I’ve got a great team here … a team who worked so hard every single day.
“The community have rallied around me and they’ve said they wanted me to stay with them and see them through to the end of recovery.
“But I also want to pay tribute to my fellow candidates. And particularly (Greens’) Adam (Guise) and (Nationals’) Alex (Rubin).
“It was a very simple campaign. It was really a civil campaign. I thank them for that, because that’s important, and that’s how it should be,” she said.
Ms Saffin unseated the Nationals at the 2019 election – becoming the first Labor and female MP to represent the region.
The seat was held for decades by the Nationals, which entered the 2019 state election holding the seat by a narrow margin of 0.2 per cent.
Ballina in the balance
Nationals candidate Josh Booyens is “not counting any chickens” as the future of the seat of Ballina hangs in the balance.
Tamara Smith of the Greens and Mr Booyens of the Nationals have been neck-and-neck as the counting continues.
“We’ve left no stone unturned in this campaign and what comes about tonight will inevitably come about,” Mr Booyens said.
“I’m just so grateful to be in this position, and this whole journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
Former Greens candidate for the federal seat of Richmond Mandy Nolan has been supporting the Greens sitting MP Tamara Smith at her event in Suffolk Park tonight.
“I feel really positive about tonight and so deeply for this electorate,” she said.
“Tamara Smith has done such great work and the Greens support in this region is so strong and it’s only growing.
“I feel like tomorrow we’ll hold on for another term.”
Follow the money
It’s an old saying that if you want to predict an outcome, look at where the hard-earned is being wagered.
Sportsbet is running all sorts of markets on the NSW election, including framing odds for each seat.
If they have it right, then the only North Coast seat ‘in play’ is Tweed Heads, where the Nationals (and Geoff Provest) are $1.10 to retain power, with Labor (and candidate Craig Elliot) hot on their heels at $2.50.
Coffs Harbour, Clarence and Ballina all shape as one-horse races.
Gurmesh Singh is at Winx-like odds of $1.05 to hold Coffs from Labor ($10).
So too is Tamara Smith, reckoned as a good thing to retain Ballina (Greens $1.05 to the Nationals at $13).
And the dollars are on Richie Williamson ($1.05) to salute for the Nats in the seat of Clarence, with the nearest threat said to be Labor at $10.
The polls close at 6pm and all will soon be revealed.
Paramedic pay spray
Labor candidate for Tweed Craig Elliot has attended the Banora Point High School polling booths with wife and member for Richmond Justine Elliot.
Mr Elliot said under a Labor government people in the Tweed would not get left behind.
“There’s a sense across NSW and the Tweed that we need a fresh start,” he said
“We have a 12 year old tired government that have run out of ideas.
“After the floods we’ve still got people living in tents, gutted houses … the government’s response has been poor.”
Mr Elliot also raised the issues around the wage cap and NSW paramedics being one of the lowest paid in the country. They are paid thousands less than counterparts over the border.
“We have a Queensland government who is very focused on recruiting our (the Tweed’s) essential workers … better pay, better conditions to go and do the same job,” he said.
“Our position is clear – abolish the public sector wage cap”
Sitting MP Geoff Provest did not respond for comment at the time.
’Lots to do’: Sitting Lismore MP
Lismore MP Janelle Saffin does not appear particularly stressed as seven other contenders fight for the northern NSW seat.
Ms Saffin said: “I feel very calm. The campaign is almost over.”
“For this election in particular, given everything we’ve been through in the electorate of Lismore, I’ve got a real commitment to see this through.
“There’s a lot that needs to be done after the disaster.
Ms Saffin said she wanted to push ahead “the (floods) recovery and the rebuild” and to “build back better”.
“So I feel quite committed today,” she said.
Lismore City councillor and Greens candidate Adam Guise said there had been a lot of “harmony” among the parties during the campaign.
This is perhaps because community members of all political persuasions have been impacted by the record 2022 floods, and increasingly banded together.
Mr Guise said he was excited to see the election results – and tossed in a last-minute last pitch to voters.
“The Greens are offering a positive vision of the future and saying no to coal seam gas, which I hope our electorate really gets behind,” he said.
East Lismore resident Henry Luong voted for Janelle Saffin this election after the 2022 flood waters ripped through his home.
He said now that Ms Saffin has won the election, the real hard work lies ahead of her.
He said now there is a federal Labor government and a Lismore Labor MP “there is no excuse for them not to pull their s--t together” and get the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Company moving on flood recovery and housing for flood victims.
“The politicians don’t have an excuse to kick the can down the road anymore,” he said.
Relocate Lismore homes advocate Harper Dalton said it was a great win for Ms Saffin.
“I think it’s going to be a historic win for Janelle, it just proves how hard she’s worked for this community and how much the community believes in her ability to lead us in the recovery and beyond,” he said.
Labor voter Polly Floyd said she thought Ms Saffin’s win would be “wonderful for the area”.
Cost of living crunch
Warren Doust, 75, is a cane farmer who has lived in Southgate, in Clarence, his entire life.
Mr Doust, who was voting at Grafton High School, wants to see cost of living addressed.
“Impoverished people will never be able to own a home – it’s out of their reach,” he said.
He attributed cost of living pain to the Ukrainian war and the pandemic.
Gill Ett has been a nurse for over 60 years in the region and said she believes nurses needed a pay boost.
“Nurses should be better paid for the hours they work,” she said.
Helping flood victims ‘really important’
Voters at Byron Bay Public School in the seat of Ballina have raised environmental protection and sustainable development as key issues this state election.
Mary McKenzie said she was looking for improvements in healthcare, environmental protection and less development.
“And better roads,” she added.
Ms McKenzie pushed would-be voters to take advantage of “the benefit of a democracy”.
She also wanted ongoing support for flood victims.
“It’s a really important issue for us,” she said.
Ballina voter Anthony Moulay also urged North Coast residents to get across local politics to make their votes count.
“We should be educated and have our say,” he said.
Mr Moulay said he wanted to see more affordable housing, public housing and improvements to infrastructure.
“We push this area as a tourist area, but I’m finding it hard to see if any of the money we make from tourism is actually going back into this area,” he said.
“We don’t see much in return for what we do.”
Cynthia Smith is a dedicated Greens supporter and said she thinks we need more of the party in state parliament.
“I will always get out and vote for the Greens just to make sure we get more in state parliament,” she said.
“It’s the only way we’re going to improve things and have equity in society.”
Ms Smith said she and her family had just moved up to NSW from Victoria.
“I’m hoping that we get more representation in NSW for the Greens,” she said.
Election eats impress
On the northern fringe of Coffs Harbour, a big crowd was on hand to make their call at the Kororo Public School state election polling booth this morning.
Comparatively up-market fare was on offer: slabs of bacon sizzled while eggs splattered and popped.
School teachers Leanne Bourke, Nathan Bortelli and Courtney Martin were manning the grill.
Asked about the most popular menu item, Ms Martyn pointed to “bacon and eggs rolls”, while colleague Mr Bortelli joked “me”.
The trio were raising money for Kororo Public, as were Jen and Georgia Hood on the cake stall.
“We just had someone buy $50 worth, so that’s cleaned us out a bit as everything is just one or two dollars,” Ms Hood said.
There were still plenty of cupcakes and honey jumbles to go around as voting at Coffs continues.
‘No one is indispensable’: Outgoing MP
Retiring Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis of the Nationals is mere hours away from relinquishing his role.
“You have to know when to hold and when to fold. No one is indispensable,” Mr Gulaptis said.
The outgoing politician said the strength of the Nationals in the seat had been down to the party, rather than any individual.
He said he was confident the party would hold the seat.
“Pre-polls have been positive and there is no anger in the community,” Mr Gulaptis said.
Clarence is considered a Nats stronghold, which Mr Gulaptis attributed to a “focus on the region”.
“I’ve never seen a period of investment in infrastructure than I have in the past 11 years,” he said.
Mr Gulaptis plans to head overseas to see family, having served through fires, floods and a pandemic.
“It’s a privileged role and one with responsibilities. But it takes its toll. The last four years were extremely difficult – friends, family and community members suffered,” he said.
“But we survived and we’re resilient, life will always have turmoil that defines a period of time.”
Nationals candidate Richie Williamson said there was no such thing as a safe seat, but he felt confident.
“One of our major focuses is cost of living. The Nats understand the bush,” he said.
Mr Williamson said living in regional towns comes with extra electricity, transport and petrol expenses
“We have a number of measures that clearly and exclusively target regional NSW,” he said.
Mr Williamson addressed community concern about youth crime and spoke of an “uptick”.
He wants to use the Police and Community Youth Club (PCYC) to help address youth crime.
“I want police to target areas to better connect with the youth,” he said.
Mr Williamson said 52 per cent of people in the Clarence have already cast their votes.
“I’d like to see more early voting in the future, from Saturday-Saturday. People want convenience,” he said.
‘Years of neglect’ in Lismore: Councillor
Lismore City councillor Darlene Cook was at Goonellabah Community Centre handing out Labor how-to-vote cards on the morning of the state election.
“The most important thing to me is to get a Labor Government into office in NSW and make some really significant changes,” she said.
“We’ve have 12 years of neglect in the state (under the LNP). This area specifically has been very, very neglected.
“We have a huge lack of housing and affordable housing.
Ms Cook said the regions “have been missing out for years”.
‘Lismore’s in limbo’
Nationals candidate Alex Rubin reckons he can do a better job of rebuilding Lismore after the horrific 2022 floods.
He’s taking on sitting Labor MP Janelle Saffin and said on election day: “Lismore is in limbo”.
Mr Rubin said he wanted to change negative perceptions of politicians.
“First word that pops into your head when I say the word ‘politician’. It’s normally a negative one,” he said.
“And we go back 30 or 40 years, you say ‘politician’ – that was community leader who was somebody who fights for us.
“And my question is how did we go from what we used to be to what we are now.”
Mr Rubin said he wanted to “raise the bar of politics”.
“Bring back the accountability and transparency. They’re not just buzzwords. They should actually be morals and principles that people live by,” he said.
“Regardless what happens I will keep working with the National Party. And I will be working behind the scenes.
“I’m not really worried about who wins as long as the community is served at the end of the day and we get after actual flood mitigation and engineering solutions to reduce the height of the next flood.”
Half of Coffs voted early
Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh went back to his old school, Woolgoolga High, on election morning to cast his vote.
While he was one of the early arrivals, much of the electorate had beaten him to the punch.
More than 19,000 early votes have been cast and nearly 5000 postal voting applications sent.
Roughly half of those who normally vote in the Mid North Coast electorate have already done so.
Mr Singh was relaxed about his chances of winning Coffs Harbour, but not counting his chickens.
“I’ve worked incredibly hard over the past four years, but elections are always tight,” he said.
“It’s been a long campaign and I certainly haven’t taken this seat for granted.
“Sportsbet has moved me in from $1.20 to $1.05 (of winning) so that’s saying something.”
‘Time for a change’
Voters hitting booths across the North Coast will wade through swarms of volunteers for all the major players this state election.
Bogangar Public School in the seat of Tweed was a sea of colour on Saturday morning, with volunteers out in force.
Labor volunteer Kate Oliver said it was “about time we get a chance”.
“I think NSW has suffered under the Liberals enough,” she said.
Labor volunteer Jacob Madsen, barracking for Labor contender Craig Elliot, said nurses “aren’t getting paid enough” and “it’s about time for a chance of government”.
A third Labor volunteer, Pete Whittle, said: “The LNP government is unfit to govern.”
“The things Geoff (Provest) said he’s done for Tweed is fine. We’d like to have a Labor member who’s part of the government.”
Volunteer for the Nationals sitting MP Mr Provest, Olivia Greig, said: “Geoff is a great bloke and should stay in.”
“I’m here to help and keep Geoff in seat as he does a good job at what he does,” she said.
Another Nationals volunteer, Emerson Rogers, said Mr Provest was “lovely”.
“He’s always taken a good care for us, always made me feel comfortable and nice.”
Sally Schaffer, volunteer for Greens contender Ciara Denham, said: ‘If people are concerned about the housing crisis and renters and first home buying they should vote for Ciara.”
“The Greens are fighting for real action on climate change,” she said.
First time voters Riley Enselert and Mae Webb said it was pretty cool voting for the first time and tucking into a democracy sausage.
Ms Webb said repairing Tweed’s roads needed to be a priority.
“They need to fix the roads – there’s potholes everywhere,” she said.
Affordable housing an election issue
Speaking at Byron Bay Public School in the Ballina electorate, “born and bred” local Lauren Beaumont said she was most interested in seeing solutions for the region’s short-term letting woes.
“It feels like they’re killing off the accessibility to housing to the locals, so it's the most important thing that my family can stay here,” she said.
Ms Beaumont said she would like to see restrictions on Airbnb and other holiday letting platforms.
She also wanted to see the government “open up developments” for broader housing options in the Northern Rivers.
“I know the local governments here are all wanting that but when that gets to the state level I don’t think that really is a priority for them,” she said.
Ms Beaumont said it was important to close the gap between the extremely wealthy and the average resident in the Ballina electorate.
Voter Angele Chlopicki said she picked the Greens in the seat because she “liked a bit of change”.
“They’re helping the environment and people,” she said.
“I’m sick of the old farts trying to create s--t for people.”
Greens voter Lucy Kloessing said she cared about protecting the environment and squashing overdevelopment in Byron Bay and surrounding areas.
“We still need a cash flow into the town though,” she said.
Ms Kloessing urged potential voters to make their vote count.
“I think we should pick people that reflect our values,” she said.
Early voting spike
Greens candidate for the seat of Clarence Greg Clancy at the Grafton High School booths he was happy with his campaign but conceded winning was a “big ask”.
“We’re in National party heartland,” Mr Clancy said.
Mr Clancy said it was difficult to sway people who vote Nationals without hesitation.
“I’d like people to be more open and informed and do their research,” he said.
Mr Clancy said issues such as mining and foresting were of concern to him, particularly in the wake of severe bushfires.
He said Greens voters were often younger people in the community studying at university.
“The hard task for us is potential voters are moving to the big cities as Clarence suits older business owners,” he said.
Labor volunteer David Bender said it was a fairly quiet morning at the school voting booth and he pointed to early voting.
“Half the people have voted already in this area,” he said.
Rick and Ronda Cassel, in their 70s, said they were disappointed with the major parties.
“The state of the economy and the handling of Covid were dreadful,” Mr Cassel said.
The pair wanted schools to focus on reading, writing and maths.
“There’s too much scare campaigning against climate change,” Mr Cassel said.
‘War with China’
A woman has been filmed outside the Molesworth St booths in Lismore yelling in protest about funding “submarines” and the “war machine”.
She also spoke of a “war with China” as voters and party volunteers watched on, some appearing amused.
‘Nobody ticks all my boxes’
Voters are hitting the booths across the North Coast, including at Lismore, where Animal Justice Party candidate Vanessa Rosayro was seen lodging her vote.
The first time political contender who voted at the Molesworth St booth said the party ticked all her boxes and she will stay active in politics, regardless of how she and the minor party fares in the vote.
Meanwhile, a long-time Nationals voter said she believed the biggest issue heading into the booth was who would ultimately be premier. Labor’s Chris Minns or sitting Premier Dominic Perrottet.
The woman, who asked not to be named because she feared her political leanings would jeopardise her job, said she was “Liberal through and through”.
“I really loved Janelle (Saffin) and what she’s done for Lismore post flood. She’s a fantastic local member,” she said.
“But Dom Perrottet is the better premier – that’s why I voted nationals.
“We turn over premiers too quickly and he’s started doing a good job and we need to see it through.”
River FM presenter Rosie Lee Bennett urged the community to have their say.
“This is a democracy. We need to support whatever we believe in,” she said.
Ms Bennett said various candidates had policies she supported and she wished she could vote for more than one contender.
“Nobody as far as I can see ticks all my boxes,” she said.
Wet weather forecast
With more than its fair share of retirees living in Coffs Harbour, older folk are up and at ’em at the booths this morning doing their civic duty.
So there’s wisdom in the adage of former US president Lyndon Baines Johnson, who famously encouraged people to vote early (and often) – as it’s predicted to be a wet day.
According to the weather-botherers, there’s a 70 per cent chance of the wet stuff from 11am, rising to 90 per cent from 2pm.
Incumbent MP Gurmesh Singh hopes to secure a second term as the Member for Coffs Harbour, and he’ll cast his vote in his home town of Woolgoolga.
His main rivals for a seat in the lower house are two serving City of Coffs Harbour councillors – independent Sally Townley and Labor’s Tony Judge.
Despite being considered a safe Nationals seat, the past week has not been without skirmish on the hustings.
Greens candidate Tim Nott got his rage on after a Nationals supporter removed an unauthorised political sign at the Jetty last weekend.
The protest sign mimicked Nationals’ branding and colours, but no one has come forward to claim responsibility for it.
“This was very upsetting for the people who came to enjoy their day at the Jetty,” Mr Nott posted on the Coffs Harbour Greens Facebook page.
You can watch the video of that fiery face-off here.
What’s expected
The North Coast will see at least one new face elected on the back of the retirement of long-serving Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis.
The Nationals expect to retain the Grafton-centred seat through new runner Richie Williamson, while Gurmesh Singh is widely predicted to also hold for the Nats, in Coffs Harbour.
Two North Coast races are expected to be tighter: Ballina which is currently held by the Greens Tamara Smith, and the Tweed, where veteran National Geoff Provest is looking for another term.
In Lismore, Labor stalwart Janelle Saffin is tipped to retain her seat.
Booths opened at 8am today and will close at 6pm.
If you’re eligible to vote, it’s compulsory to do so in NSW. If you don’t have a valid reason for failing to vote you can be fined $55.
Ballina
Check out the Ballina candidates and find out where to vote.
Clarence
Take a look at who’s running for the seat of Clarence and find out where to vote.
Coffs Harbour
Here’s who is running for Coffs Harbour and how you can lodge your vote.
Lismore
Here’s where you can find all the Lismore election candidates and voting booths.
Tweed
Check out all the Tweed candidates and see where you can vote this state election.
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