NSW Election: Candidates claim safe seats lead to ‘complacency’ and electorates ‘missing out’
A city councillor, a country town bookshop owner and retired teacher are some of the candidates vying for airtime in the state’s most one-sided electorates. Hear from them about the struggles running in unwinnable seats.
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The eyes of NSW will be focused on a few key battleground seats on Saturday with electorates like Kogarah, Kiama and Coogee set to determine the state’s trajectory for the next four years.
There are just as many seats that won’t have media scrums cramming into polling booths on election day, the ones where constituents have, in some cases, only ever voted one way.
One of the state’s safest seats in the state is in the heart of the rusted-on red Illawarra where Labor MP Paul Scully enjoys a 21.4 per cent hold on the electorate of Wollongong.
Labor has been in power in the electorate since 1991 with the party’s position now returning to its record primary results of the 1990s after a brief scare from independent Gordon Bradbery in 2011 who went on to claim the city’s mayorship later that year.
This dominance of the electorate has been fuelled by a lack of interest from one half of the state’s political duopoly, according to the Greens Wollongong candidate Cath Blakey.
Cr Blakey, who has sat on Wollongong Council since 2017, said such surety in the seat has caused Labor to become complacent in their own heartland.
“The Liberals don’t bother here,” Cr Blakey told NewsLocal moments before Mr Scully walked past in the Wollongong CBD.
“Wollongong Labor is famous for all the wrong reasons. We have seen (former Wollongong MP) Noreen Hey resign in disgrace and we have seen Labor councillors cause an ICAC inquiry.
“I can’t think of any advantages of being in a safe Labor seat … I think it leads to complacency and our community misses out.”
Cr Blakey said the Greens’ presence in the region – which was the first to have a federal Greens MP when Michael Organ won Cunningham in 2002 – has grown due to having two city councillors in place.
The Greens have made bold commitments surrounding public healthcare and affordable housing which they will seek to implement if they can secure the balance of power in a hung parliament.
Cr Blakey explained how issues such as mandated nurse-to-patient ratios and improving renter rights are having cut through with voters.
“I think more and more people are recognising the Greens want to see social change,” she said.
“We are not just about the environment.”
Mr Scully greeted the suggestion he was complacent with laughter and told NewsLocal the electorate stuck with his party because “when Wollongong needs support Labor turns up” while it’s “ignored” by the Liberals.
“I have not seen any of the other candidates regularly out of a morning talking to commuters which I have been doing throughout my terms apart from during Covid,” Mr Scully said.
“I rarely see the councillor at community events and people know they can contact me and get assistance on a matter no matter what the margin is.
“I respect the people and I try to support them in any way I can.”
Labor claims Nationals neglect of former rural red seats
Labor’s historical dominance in the state’s steel belt is not reflected in the rural regions where the green half of the Coalition have overridden seats that have previously voted red.
Chris Dahlitz is running for Labor in the Nationals stronghold of Cootamundra, a seat held by Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Steph Cooke by an imposing margin of 27.1 per cent.
Cootamundra was once part of the abolished electorates of Burrinjuck and Murrumbidgee which were represented by Labor members through the 1960s to 1980s, however, Mr Dahlitz hypothesised an “exodus of blue-collar manufacturing industries in the bush” has led to his party’s demise.
The retired electrical engineer told NewsLocal of the difficulties of campaigning in such a one-sided seat, a problem made more arduous by Cootamundra’s sheer size.
“Cootamundra is unique,” Mr Dahlitz explained.
“It’s the size of Switzerland and it doesn’t have a main hub like a lot of other larger electorates. It has 10 larger towns and 100 smaller towns and villages which makes it challenging.
“It’s hard to engage all of the communities in politics. I turn up to candidate forums where I am a one-man show while she turns up with three or four support staff which is all fine given her position, but it makes it difficult when you’re a challenger.”
Mr Dahlitz, who spoke from his Narrandera residence which was once the childhood home of former NSW Governor Marie Bashir, said it was vital for democracy to have candidates staking their claim in even the most trying circumstances.
“I put my hands up because it’s important to stand as there’s nothing worse than handing the seat over on a plate,” he explained.
The Labor candidate described Ms Cooke as a “very hardworking member” who would “attend the opening of an envelope if she could”, a tongue-in-cheek comment he followed up with “as the local member should”.
Mr Dahlitz, who is campaigning on a platform of better health services, roads and TAFE, said he would not attack his opponent, instead he would aim for her party which he accused of “classic pork barrelling”.
“The Nationals seem to save up their grants leading up to elections,” Mr Dahlitz said.
“In the last three weeks (of an election campaign) they run around handing out cheques. It’s classic pork barrelling.
“Money for health and roads is always welcome, but it’s obvious that it’s stored up for the election cycle.”
About six hours up the road is the safest of safe seats in NSW with the electorate of Northern Tablelands held by Nationals MP and Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall.
Mr Marshall won more than 73 per cent of the first-preference vote in 2019 to win the Croatia-sized seat by a resounding margin of 33.2 per cent.
Despite this, Labor candidate and Armidale bookshop owner Yvonne Langenberg believes there is growing dissatisfaction with the Nationals, particularly when it comes to health services in the electorate.
“I don’t really know why [it’s such a safe Nationals seat], but the fact there are 10 candidates running shows we’re not all together and happy,” Ms Langenberg expressed to NewsLocal after a hectic day at pre-polling.
“I have come across a lot of displeasure about what’s going on … and I am challenging him so I clearly think he hasn’t done his job very well.
“Our healthcare system is going down the gurgler and people are telling me horror stories and how it’s a slow moving train wreck. One issue we have in rural NSW is one healthcare solution does not necessarily help somewhere else – what works for Moree doesn’t necessarily work for Glen Innes or in Walcha.
“A big concern is the lack of registered nurses. We have hospitals being built, but having hospitals doesn’t help when you don’t have the services and resources.”
Ms Langenberg said it “unconscionable” rural NSW residents have a lower life expectancy than people in the city, adding her campaign’s goal was to “rattle the cage” of Mr Marshall.
“I certainly want to rattle the incumbent’s cage and explain to people that we are a credible alternative and we understand about living on the land,” she said.
“I had a person say they thought Labor were for the workers and I say yes and everyone who works on the land is a very hard worker who needs good government services.”
North Sydney Indi “sick and tired” of political duopoly
Much of the attention of Sydney’s north shore has been Pittwater where Climate 200-backed independent Jacqui Scruby has her sights on claiming the key seat from the Libs just four years after retiring Minister for Infrastructure Rob Stokes won it by 24.8 per cent.
The same scrutiny won’t be on the neighbouring seats of Davidson and Wakehurst which were held by retiring senior Liberal Speaker Johnation O’Dea and Health Minister Brad Hazzard respectively.
Davidson was touched on by the media when Liberal candidate and former Mike Baird staffer Matt Cross upset Roads Minister Natalie Ward to be preselected for the seat.
Independent candidate Janine Kitson told NewsLocal Mr Cross’ surprising preselection win was not a concern for her, but it had been mentioned in the community.
“[How he was preselected] did come up at a candidate forum just last week,” the former Ku-ring-gai councillor said.
“I didn’t bring it up, but it was something that was asked about. I am more interested in getting onto the issues.
“Matt Cross is a new candidate who has arrived on the scene very recently whereas I have been around in this community for 23 years and has a track record of working for the community.”
Ms Kitson ran as an independent in last year’s federal election in the overlapping seat of Bradfield where she earned 3018 first-preference votes – over 3.1 per cent of the primary vote.
“I have name recognition [from running in Bradfield] and 23 years of service in the community of Davidson,” Ms Kitson, a retired teacher, explained.
“I am running as a stand-alone independent because I am sick and tired of how the Liberals and Labor have trashed this area. People need to change their vote to choose someone who cares.
“We are sick and tired of planning locals around local councils which mean local communities have no say on what happens in their area.”
Novocastrian fights to win votes off “well loved” MP
One of NSW’s oldest – and safest – seats sits in Newcastle’s north west with Wallsend returning a Labor MP in every election dating back to its establishment in 1984.
Sonia Hornery has represented the electorate since 2007 and achieved a record 75.4 per cent of first-preference votes in 2019 to hold the seat by 25.4 per cent – making it Labor’s safest seat at Saturday’s election.
Disability support worker Rebecca Watkins has taken on the unenviable task of trying to upset the incumbent with the Greens candidate admitting Ms Hornery is “well loved” by Wallsend.
“I feel [it being a safe seat] has to do with a lot of residents coming from construction and mining – your traditionally blue-collar, union type careers,” Ms Watkins said to NewsLocal while rallying prospective voters at Newcastle University.
“In Wallsend, because quite a few work in the mines they’re not quite as happy so if I am not able to convince them, I make sure to listen to them and address their concerns if I can.
“I try to be empathetic because it’s a scary time for a lot of people who are scared they might lose their jobs.
“Sonia Hornery is well loved by the community and I have heard from a lot of people who have received help from her on occasions.
“I think she has helped individuals in the community itself, but she hasn’t been able to help the community overall.
“It’s such a safe Labor seat that it hasn’t received funding from the Liberal government and it’s such a safe Labor seat that Labor don’t pay much attention so it feels like it doesn’t get the investment it should in areas such as flood mitigation and public transport which is a mess.”
Ms Watkins is realistic about the Greens’ chances and has set targets of increasing the party’s primary vote after recording 9.2 per cent four years ago.
The Greens have drawn first position on the ticket, which Ms Watkins said was “disappointing in a way”, but conceded she would take the votes anyway.
“We are trying to get more than 10 per cent at this election,” Ms Watkins said.
“Because I drew first place I will probably get a few more from donkey votes which is disappointing in a way, but I’ll take what I can.
“There’s a large uni population, such as myself, so we might get a few votes from younger voters and I’ve spoken to a few previously Liberal voters who have told me they are voting Greens this time to stick it to Labor.
“I’ve been told the seat needs to become a threat to the Labor Party in order to get anything done in this city.”
Editor’s note: Other parties and candidates, including the Liberals, were contacted by NewsLocal, however, they either did not respond or told us they did not wish to comment.
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