The federal election race for the seat of Kingsford Smith
Labor’s Matt Thislethwaite has retained the federal seat of Kingsford Smith on the back of a strong campaign on health and schools
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LABOR WINS KINGSFORD SMITH
During his victory speech at the Randwick Labor Club Kingsford Smith federal Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite described how his campaign became a family affair with his two eldest daughters competing over how many pamphlets they could hand out at Pacific Square.
“In the end we couldn’t stop them,” the father of four joked.
“I thought we worked hard in 2013 (election) and I could not work any harder but during this campaign we have knocked on more doors, made more phone calls, had more street stalls and more community meetings and it paid off in the end.”
He said Labor stalwarts Laurie Brereton, former Midnight Oil frontman and ex-Kingsford Smith MP Peter Garrett, Maroubra MP Michael Daley and Heffron MP Ron Hoenig had helped throughout the campaign.
Maroubra state Labor MP Michael Daley said: “This is a really satisfying result because the people of the local area have recognised the hard work that Matt and the Labor Party do in the area to protect it from things that would do it damage.
“It has been a long campaign and the thing that makes me really proud is that Matt and the Labor Party showed that we value the fact that we are their representatives and work so hard.
“People know when you love your job, when you love the area, you work hard for it.”
He said voters had clearly showed they wanted to save the Prince of Wales Hospital, protect Medicare and save the trees being cut down to make way for the State Government’s light rail project.
But most of all Mr Thistlethwaite, who has four young daughters, thanked his wife Rachel who he described as “the most amazing woman”.
9PM LABOR DECLARES VICTORY IN KINGSFORD SMITH
The Randwick Labor Club exploded tonight as Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite declared victory in the seat of Kingsford Smith.
Mr Thistlethwaite’s victory speech came on the back of a 6.4 per cent swing to Labor, with 64.2 per cent of the vote counted.
In his victory speech, Mr Thistlethwaite thanked his wife Rachel, volunteers, his family and the people of the electorate who he said had shown they “valued good health care and a greater investment in our schools”.
Mr Thistlethwaite took 59.1 per cent of the two party preferred vote, ahead of the Liberal candidate Michael Feneley who held 40.9 per cent of the vote at 9.35pm tonight.
7.30PM EARLY LABOR SURGE
Labor is on track to retain Kingsford Smith, following an early surge in the marginal seat.
With 23.9 per cent of the vote counted there has been an 8.8 per cent swing to Labor - Labor is holding 61.6 per cent of the two party preferred vote to the Liberals 38.4 per cent.
There were plenty of heavy hitters in Kingsford Smith during the campaign to support Labor candidate Matt Thistlethwaite in his bid to retain this ALP heartland seat, with Leader Bill Shorten visiting the seat three times. Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek also made appearances.
Kingsford Smith has been a Labor stronghold since it was first proclaimed in 1949, but gentrification has seen a rise in Liberal votes that has taken Labor’s margin down to 2.75 per cent - the lowest in its history.
6.30PM HEARTBEAT OF THE CAMPAIGN
He may have worked with the Liberal candidate for Kingsford Smith for 27 years and he is even filling in his shoes at St Vincents Hospital, but there is no doubt where Peter Macdonald’s loyalities lie today.
The father of James Macdonald, the Kingsford Smith Greens candidate, hung up his stethoscope to join his son on the hustings today.
“Michael (Feneley) took time off from the hospital to run for the Liberals in the seat of Kingsford Smith and in the meantime I am acting director of the heart and lung program at St Vincents Hospital,” Peter Macdonald said.
“I know Michael very well, I was telling the Liberal Party volunteers out today that I have worked with Michael for the past 27 years.”
But on his son’s second tilt at the seat of Kingsford Smith under the Greens banner there is no doubt where his loyalties lie: “Blood is thicker than water,” he joked.
The Greens blitzed the Kingsford Smith area today, with James Macdonald hitting booths including La Perouse, Randwick, Coogee, Maroubra, Botany and Mascot.
“During the campaign I really tried to ram through the message that politics can be done different, that includes no more than negative attacks,” Mr Macdonald said.
On the hustings today he said voters were furious about the Federal Government decision to grant the shooters a 50-year lease on the Malabar Headland.
5.30PM MELISSA SEILER’S ELECTION DAY WRAP
Who would have thought the humble brownie could bring two political rivals together? That’s exactly what happened in the seat of Kingsford Smith today when Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite shouted Liberal candidate Dr Michael Feneley a brownie from the cake stall at Maroubra Junction Public School.
Mr Thistlethwaite and Dr Feneley came together by chance at midday at the gates of the school on Storey St, after both spent the morning shaking hands with voters who braved early temperatures as low as 10 degrees to have their say on who should win the local seat, and who should run the country for the next four years.
The Liberal team at Randwick Presbyterian Church said they’d arrived at 1am to get pole position - literally - for their election banners on the poles outside, with the BBQ running hot when the first voters arrived at 8am.
Over at Botany Rd Public School, the P&C from the neighbouring John Brotchie Nursery School whipped up a delicious selection of cakes, biscuits and sweet treats which flew off the tables.
Back at Maroubra Junction PS, which reportedly had the longest queues for voting, the P&C kept the BBQ running hot with delicious sausage sandwiches, bacon and egg rolls and baked goods, which were more than welcomed by the long queues which stretched from the booths right back close to the front gates for much of the day.
Dr Feneley voted at Randwick Town Hall then spent much of the day zig-zagging the electorate, chatting to voters at booths from Botany to Banksmeadow, Coogee to Clovelly.
“The day has gone very well,” Dr Feneley said. “Like all elections its up to what the people want and for them to decide. I hope the people of Kingsford Smith think I’ve done enough to earn their trust, to be the member that represents them.”
After visiting voters around the electorate early in the piece and with his large tea, of volunteers at every booth, MP Matt Thistlethwaite spent the bulk of the afternoon at Maroubra Junction, before heading to Eastwards Senior Citizens Centre at Coogee to cast his vote with wife Rachel by his side.
“I’m quietly confident,” Mr Thistlethwaite said. “I love election day...the sausage sizzles, the community coming together,l it’s perfect weather for it. I’m looking forward to getting together with my volunteers later tonight, hopefully to celebrate.”
3.30PM FLYING AMBITIONS
Max Clayton set up this tea and lamington stand in front of his house which is next to the Horner Memorial Uniting Church polling booth. He’s raising money to buy a remote control plane- he said his sister Ella started the morning with him handling the money but got bored after five minutes in and went to take a nap and play inside. There is less than two hours left until the polling booths close but if you are in the Eastlakes area pop in and help Max realise his dream of flying a remote control plane.
2.15PM FAMILY AFFAIR
Kingsford Smith federal Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite and wife Rachel cast their vote at the Eastward Senior Citizens Centre, Coogee. Mr Thistlethwaite said he was feeling great and there’s a positive feeling out in the electorate today.
So can he win again and retain Kingsford Smith for Labor. He says yes: “Locals feel deeply disappointed with the Turnbull Government. They were promised that Mr Turnbull would change the Liberal Party but it looks like it has changed him,” he said. “They feel let down because Mr Turnbull has continued the Liberals’ savage cuts to our local health, education, and services. I think when locals go to vote today, they will be focusing on which person has actually stood up for them and which party has let them down by savagely destroying their health, education, and natural environment.”
12.30PM CANDIDATE COLLISION
After zigzagging the electorate, Liberal candidate Michael Feneley met sitting Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite as both greeted voters at Maroubra Junction Public School, on opposite sides of the political spectrum and the school gate.
Mr Thistlethwaite shouted his chief opponent a brownie at the Maroubra school showing that good sportsmanship despite the tight tussle for the seat - that Labor holds with just a 2.7 per cent margin.
Liberal candidate Dr Michael Feneley was among those who cast his vote early at Randwick Town Hall (at 8am), before heading off to greet locals around the electorate. The message from Dr Feneley today is “I want to see our area grow and prosper. I want our community to have a greater voice in Parliament. I want our children to have more opportunities than what we did”. He is promoting the Liberals plan to reinvigorate small business which he described as the “engine room of NSW”.
Just over 5.6 million people are enrolled to vote in the 2016 election, an increase of 963,000 since 2013. The inner metropolitan seat of Kingsford Smith has 108,701 voters in the 2016 federal election.
There are 7,000 polling places across Australia. In Kingsford Smith there are more than 36 places to vote. Find out where to vote
After eight weeks of campaigning Coaltition leads Labor 50.5 to 49.5 per cent on a two-party preferred basis in the final NewsPoll before the election.
12PM: MAROUBRA JUNCTION PUBLIC SCHOOL
We caught up with Kingsford Smith Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite on the hustling at Maroubra Junction Public School this morning. The lines were long leading to the polling booths but the volunteers manning the school BBQ kept the big crowds fed with the election favourite - the sausage in a roll. Mr Thistlethwaite has campaigned relentlessly, proving his is willing to “work hard to ensure Kingsford Smith is a great place to live, work and raise a family”.
Mr Thistlethwaite is promising Labor will upgrade Botany pool, take trucks off local roads and deliver faster broadband for our community. It has been a great honour to serve our community as the local MP and if re-elected I will continue to fight and work hard for our local area.
9AM: LABOR’S TOUGHEST FIGHT
A TOUGH battle lies ahead to keep Kingsford-Smith in Labor hands as the Liberal Party has a real chance of seizing control of the marginal seat for the first time in its history but early indicators are that Labor will retain the seat.
It is one of 62 marginal seats across Australia that will decide who wins the Federal Election on July 2.
Kingsford Smith federal Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite said the contest for Kingsford-Smith would be a referendum on the Liberal’s deep cuts to hospitals and healthcare and said the future of Medicare hung in the balance.
“From July 1, patients who are seeking blood tests, pregnancy test, pap smears and MRIs will get a rude shock,” he said.
“Instead of reaching for their Medicare card, they’ll be forced to reach for their credit card.
“Not only that, the freeze to bulk billing means a GP co-payment is going to be introduced by stealth.
Liberal candidate Michael Feneley won the Liberal preselection on Saturday and is a strong contender taking his third swipe at the seat, having already chipped away at the Labor vote at two previous federal elections.
He now needs just a 2.74 per cent swing to push out sitting MP Matt Thistlethwaite and turn Kingsford-Smith ‒ which has been under Labor rule since it was first proclaimed in 1949 ‒ into a blue ribbon seat.
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