Sea-change town feels the heat of politics

AS Arthur Sawilejskij swings his mallet on the croquet green by the Hastings River, young parents Brett and Kylie Sheather walk their kids to school.

Retiree Arthur Sawilejskij on the croquet lawn at Port Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast. Picture: Jeremy Piper

AS Arthur Sawilejskij swings his mallet on the croquet green by the Hastings River, young parents Brett and Kylie Sheather walk their kids to school.

This is Port Macquarie, one of the nation's fastest-growing towns, where grey Australia flocks for a beachside retirement and sea-changers buy up waterfront property.

Known simply as "Port" among locals, the booming town has found itself in the national spotlight, thanks to independent MP Rob Oakeshott, who this week sits in Canberra in deep negotiation over the nation's political future.

The biggest town in Mr Oakeshott's NSW mid-north coast seat of Lyne, Port Macquarie, is the most representative of the ageing population, with 21 per cent of voters aged more than 65 and a median age of 44. The migration of retirees from western and coastal NSW and sea-changers escaping Sydney swells the population year by year.

Development is big business, with retirement villages and subdivisions constantly under construction.

Developers have held powerful influence in the Nationals, a fact brought into sharp focus when Mr Oakeshott quit the party to turn independent in 2002, claiming there were "too many Bob Jellys in the Nationals" -- a reference to the dodgy mayor and real estate agent from the ABC television show SeaChange.

Mr Oakeshott will come under intense pressure this week as he decides which of the major parties to support in a minority government.

Mr Sawilejskij said he would be surprised if Mr Oakeshott sided with Labor. "I know he's a disenchanted National but I really can't see him doing that," he said. "Labor has always had a pretty low register with voters -- three-quarters of voters reject Labor in this electorate, and he would alienate a lot of people if he went with Labor. If people wanted Labor they would have voted for Labor."

Senate patterns in the seat show voters strongly support the Coalition over Labor, with the Coalition taking 46 per cent of the Senate vote, compared with 30.5 per cent for Labor.

A poll taken by the Port News local newspaper yesterday asked voters: "Who should Rob Oakeshott throw his support behind?" Fifty-four per cent of the approximately 500 respondents said the Coalition, 32 per cent said Labor and 15 per cent said Mr Oakeshott should give his support to the major parties on an issue-by-issue basis.

Brett and Kylie Sheather moved to Port Macquarie from Sydney's northern beaches just seven months ago.

Mr Sheather said there would be "massive anger" in Lyne if Mr Oakeshott sided with Labor.

"A lot of people would see it as a betrayal of this electorate," Mr Sheather said.

"He would really, really suffer at the next poll.

"We don't want Labor to get in, we're very pro-Liberal. If he goes with Labor, I would be very disappointed."

Butcher Shaun Ratko moved to Port Macquarie from Penrith in Sydney's outer west about 15 years ago after discovering a methadone needle on the step of his shop. He said the majority of people in the electorate were in favour of a Coalition government, not a second term for Labor.

"I would be let down (if Mr Oakeshott sided with Labor) because I could have voted for someone from the (conservative parties) if I thought he was going to go that way," Mr Ratko said.

The Nationals candidate who stood against Mr Oakeshott, David Gillespie, said yesterday it would not surprise him if the MP did strike a deal with Labor.

"Have you heard that expression 'Run with the foxes, hunt with the hounds'?" Mr Gillespie said.

"He's been doing that ever since he became an independent."

Mr Sawilejskij, who moved to Port Macquarie from Canberra 25 years ago, welcomes the exponential growth of Port Macquarie, but says the local infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with the population.

"You can't restrict growth and you can't tell people where to live," Mr Sawilejskij says. "But we have problems with our infrastructure -- it's struggling to cope with the current population, and to have an even bigger population is going to add huge pressure."

Locals are hoping Mr Oakeshott will use his position as one of the independents likely to hold the balance of power in a hung parliament to ensure an upgrade for Macquarie Base Hospital, better broadband services and improved roads.