New South Wales legislative election, 2007
Encyclopedia
Elections for the 54th Parliament
of New South Wales
were held on Saturday, 24 March 2007. The entire Legislative Assembly
and half of the Legislative Council
was up for election. The Australian Labor Party
led by Morris Iemma
won a fourth four-year term against the Liberal
-National
coalition led by Peter Debnam
.
Labor's substantial majority survived the election almost intact. The Liberals succeeded in taking two independent-held seats and one Labor-held seat, whilst the Nationals and an independent each took one Labor-held seat.
The media concluded that the choice facing voters was in finding the lesser of two evils: the three major newspapers sold in New South Wales endorsed Debnam, though not without criticising his ineptitude on the campaign trail.
The result was widely perceived as a foregone conclusion, with opposition leader Peter Debnam conceding as much the week before the poll. Opinion polls consistently put Labor ahead in terms of voting intention and preferred premier.
has 93 members elected for four-year terms using instant-runoff voting
, a form of preferential voting
. The voting system is the same as for the Australian House of Representatives
except that New South Wales has optional preferential voting. This means that while voters may number every candidate if they wish, their vote is still formal if they choose not to. They may vote for one candidate only, or for as many candidates as they choose, provided that they number them in correct sequence.
The New South Wales Legislative Council
has 42 members who serve eight year terms, one-half of the body being elected every four years. The Council uses the Single Transferable Vote
method, a form of preferential voting
for use with proportional representation
. As for the Assembly, the numbering of preferences is optional.
After each election, the Governor of New South Wales
, appoints a member of the Legislative Assembly to the position of Premier of New South Wales
. By convention, the party leader with the largest bloc of votes in the Assembly, is chosen.
, the lower house of Parliament. The seats for this election resulted from the boundary redistribution conducted in 2005, which did not change the number of seats notionally held by each party.
The two-party preferred vote, excluding votes which were exhausted in the distribution of preferences, was 52.26% for Labor, and 47.74% for the Coalition.
The swings required for the opposing party to take each of the Assembly's 93 seats are often illustrated by means of a Mackerras Pendulum
.
and Antony Green
after the 2005 redistribution.
¶In 2003
, Labor won Murray Darling
on a 6.7% margin, however the subsequent redistribution made it notionally National. Labor officially lost the seat at the 2007 election.
§ Pittwater
was won by an Independent in a 2005 by-election
and the shown swing is based on it. At the 2003 election
it was won by the Liberals.
‡In 2003
, Hawkesbury
was won by Steve Pringle, representing the Liberals on a 14.6% margin against Labor. In 2006, he defected from the Liberals to become an Independent.
Balmain
, in Sydney's inner-western suburbs, was with Marrickville one of two seats considered potentially winnable for the Greens. Labor incumbent Verity Firth
suffered a 2.9% primary and 3.2% two-candidate preferred swing against the Greens, to finish on 39.2% and 53.8% respectively.
The Liberals held on to Hawkesbury
despite an independent challenge from Steven Pringle
, the disendorsed Liberal incumbent. Pringle won 28.0% of the primary vote, at the expense of Labor and other independent candidates. Liberal candidate Ray Williams
saw his primary vote dip by just 1.0%.
In Macquarie Fields
, high-profile Liberal candidate Nola Fraser
achieved a 12% swing in two-party-preferred terms compared to the 2003 poll. The incumbent, Labor's Steven Chaytor
, had bowed out of the contest after being convicted for assaulting his girlfriend. Local issues such as hospital scandals and the 2005 Macquarie Fields riots
may have also contributed to the high Liberal vote. Labor candidate Andrew McDonald
won Macquarie Fields comfortably.
The Liberals won Manly
from the independents for the first time since the 1980s. Sitting MP David Barr lost to Mike Baird
, who increased the Liberals' primary vote by 4.4%.
Marrickville
, in Sydney's inner west, was with Balmain the other seat considered potentially winnable for the Greens. Labor's Carmel Tebbutt
suffered a 1.1% primary and 2.6% two-candidate preferred swing against the Greens, to finish on 46.6% and 57.5% respectively. Tebbutt won the seat in a 2005 by-election after quitting the Legislative Council, and is a senior member of the party's left wing and has a strong personal following in the area.
The Liberals lost Pittwater
to independent Alex McTaggart
at a by-election called after the resignation of John Brogden. The Liberals' Rob Stokes
won the seat back on primaries, taking 50.5% of the vote.
MP Dawn Fardell
fought off a challenge from the Nationals to retain her seat. The Nationals lost ground slightly, but the seat remains one of the state's most marginal.
Star Liberal candidate Pru Goward
beat off a tough fight in Goulburn
with independent candidate Paul Stephenson capturing a quarter of the vote. Goward was helped by the Nationals' decision not to run in the seat but both Labor and the Coalition lost ground. Allegations surfaced during the campaign that Labor was assisting Stephenson's campaign.
Independent Greg Piper
won the safe seat of Lake Macquarie
from Labor's Jeff Hunter. Labor and the Liberals lost 10.4% and 15.7% of their primary vote respectively.
Sitting Labor MP Bryce Gaudry
chose to stand as an independent after being disendorsed by his party in the seat of Newcastle
. Gaudry and another independent, John Tate, both outpolled the Greens and the Liberals. Labor's Jodi McKay
suffered a 17.1% swing against her but won the seat on preferences.
Port Stephens
Incumbent Labor MP John Bartlett
retired at this election. The Liberals' Craig Baumann
added 8.7% to his party's primary vote in the seat to outpoll Labor, and narrowly defeat ALP candidate Jim Arneman.
The Labor member for Swansea
, Milton Orkopoulos
, resigned from parliament after being charged with a number of child-sex and drug offenses. An expected backlash against the ALP materialised in the form of an 11.3% swing, with independent candidate Laurie Coghlan the main beneficiary. Nonetheless, Labor candidate Robert Coombs
was able to hold the seat with a comfortable majority.
Tweed
, Labor's most marginal seat, fell to the Nationals' Geoff Provest
. Labor incumbent Neville Newell
had previously served two terms (six years) in the federal seat of Richmond
before his two terms (eight years) in the State Parliament. A swing of 7.8% meant that the seat changed from being a marginal seat for Labor to a National Party marginal.
The Liberals lost primary votes in the seat of Wyong
, bucking the statewide swing to the party. The Liberals had disendorsed candidate Brenton Pavier after details emerged of a sex joke he had sent to friends via SMS. The Liberals' new candidate, Ben Morton, managed a 5.4% swing in two-party-preferred terms, not enough to take victory from Labor candidate David Harris
. Incumbent Labor MP Paul Crittenden
retired at the election.
(Epping
) and Peta Seaton
, (Southern Highlands
) retired. Andrew Humpherson
(Davidson
) lost preselection and did not contest his seat. Nationals MP Ian Slack-Smith
(Barwon) also retired.
The Labor MPs retiring at the 2007 election were John Bartlett
(Port Stephens
), Paul Crittenden
(Wyong
), John Mills
(Wallsend
), Sandra Nori (Port Jackson
), John Price
(Maitland
) and Kim Yeadon
(Granville
). Steven Chaytor
(Macquarie Fields
) and Milton Orkopoulos
(Swansea
), each arrested for violent crimes in late 2006, pulled out of the election. Carl Scully
(Smithfield
), dumped from the ministry for misleading parliament, chose not to recontest his seat. Attorney-General Bob Debus
(Blue Mountains) did not seek re-election, in anticipation of a move to federal politics.
The count was completed and results for the Legislative Council declared on 10 April.
The Liberal and National parties ran a joint Legislative Council ticket, winning 5 seats for the Liberals and 3 seats for the Nationals and bringing the parties' totals to 10 and 5 respectively.
Electoral changes made after the 1999 election, which saw seats go to so-called microparties through elaborate preference deals, meant that both the major party groups made gains in the 2007 election. The Labor Party with 39.1% of the vote gained 1 seat, to win 9, whilst the Liberal and National Parties with 34.2% gained 1 seat each to make a combined gain of 2, thereby winning 8 seats. The effect of this outcome is that Labor now holds 19 out of 42 council seats, just 3 short of a majority, whilst the Coalition holds 15 seats.
The Greens achieved a primary vote of 9.1%, an increase from their result in the 2003 election. This has allowed them to win 2 seats (1 additional seat), bringing their total to 4 seats. This result appears to put them in a favourable position, in which they can exercise the parliamentary balance of power, and potentially provide the Labor government with the necessary majority to get legislation through the upper chamber of Parliament.
Fred Nile's Christian Democratic Party (CDP) achieved 4.4% of the vote (↑1.4%), allowing Nile
to retain his seat, and keeping the CDP's representation at 2 seats. The Shooters Party won the remaining seat, on 2.8% of the vote, thereby increasing their representation to 2 seats.
The losers from the 2007 election were the Australian Democrats, Unity Party, Outdoor Recreation Party (ORP), Human Rights Party (HRP) (formerly Reform the Legal System Party) and One Nation. These five parties lost their single remaining parliamentary seat, which they had won in 1999. The Australian Democrats and Unity Party polled less than 2%, ORP and HRP polled well below 1%, whilst neither One Nation, nor their former representative-turned-Independent, David Oldfield, contested the 2007 election.
Parliament of New South Wales
The Parliament of New South Wales, located in Parliament House on Macquarie Street, Sydney, is the main legislative body in the Australian state of New South Wales . It is a bicameral parliament elected by the people of the state in general elections. The parliament shares law making powers with...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
were held on Saturday, 24 March 2007. The entire Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
and half of the Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
was up for election. The Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
led by Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma , is a former Australian politician and 40th Premier of New South Wales, succeeding Bob Carr after he resigned on 3 August 2005. Iemma led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election before resigning as Premier on 5 September 2008, and as a Member of Parliament on 19...
won a fourth four-year term against the Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
-National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
coalition led by Peter Debnam
Peter Debnam
Peter John Debnam , is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Vaucluse between 1994 and 2011. Debnam is a former Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Western Sydney,...
.
Labor's substantial majority survived the election almost intact. The Liberals succeeded in taking two independent-held seats and one Labor-held seat, whilst the Nationals and an independent each took one Labor-held seat.
Campaign
Labor, running on the slogan "More to do, but we're heading in the right direction," heavily outspent the Liberals, whose slogan was "Let's fix NSW." Though water and infrastructure emerged as key issues in the campaign, much of the parties' advertising focussed on the negatives: Debnam's business record and Labor's record in office.The media concluded that the choice facing voters was in finding the lesser of two evils: the three major newspapers sold in New South Wales endorsed Debnam, though not without criticising his ineptitude on the campaign trail.
The result was widely perceived as a foregone conclusion, with opposition leader Peter Debnam conceding as much the week before the poll. Opinion polls consistently put Labor ahead in terms of voting intention and preferred premier.
Electoral system
The New South Wales Legislative AssemblyNew South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
has 93 members elected for four-year terms using instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...
, a form of preferential voting
Preferential voting
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...
. The voting system is the same as for the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
except that New South Wales has optional preferential voting. This means that while voters may number every candidate if they wish, their vote is still formal if they choose not to. They may vote for one candidate only, or for as many candidates as they choose, provided that they number them in correct sequence.
The New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
has 42 members who serve eight year terms, one-half of the body being elected every four years. The Council uses the Single Transferable Vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
method, a form of preferential voting
Preferential voting
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...
for use with proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. As for the Assembly, the numbering of preferences is optional.
After each election, the Governor of New South Wales
Governors of New South Wales
The Governor of New South Wales is the state viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, as well as with the eleven other jurisdictions of Australia, and resides predominantly in her...
, appoints a member of the Legislative Assembly to the position of Premier of New South Wales
Premiers of New South Wales
The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...
. By convention, the party leader with the largest bloc of votes in the Assembly, is chosen.
Legislative Assembly
Government is formed in the Legislative AssemblyNew South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
, the lower house of Parliament. The seats for this election resulted from the boundary redistribution conducted in 2005, which did not change the number of seats notionally held by each party.
Results
|}The two-party preferred vote, excluding votes which were exhausted in the distribution of preferences, was 52.26% for Labor, and 47.74% for the Coalition.
Pendulum
A majority being 47 seats, the Labor Party had to lose nine seats (a uniform swing of 8.7%) to lose its majority, and the Liberal-National coalition had to gain 16 seats to gain a majority. Had the Liberal-National coalition gained at least one seat from an Independent, a uniform swing of 11.6% would have been sufficient. Otherwise, the necessary uniform swing required would have been 12.3%. Swings of this size are rare in New South Wales politics.The swings required for the opposing party to take each of the Assembly's 93 seats are often illustrated by means of a Mackerras Pendulum
Mackerras Pendulum
The Mackerras Pendulum was devised by the Australian psephologist Malcolm Mackerras as a way of predicting the outcome of an election contested between two major parties in a Westminster style lower house legislature such as the Australian House of Representatives, which is composed of...
.
Marginal seats (pre-election)
The following seats were described as marginal (i.e. those with a two-candidate preferred margin of 6% or less) by psephologists Malcolm MackerrasMalcolm Mackerras
Malcolm Hugh Mackerras AO is an Australian psephologist and commentator and lecturer on Australian and American politics.-Education and works:...
and Antony Green
Antony Green
Antony John Green is an Australian psephologist and commentator for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.-Early years and background:...
after the 2005 redistribution.
| Seat | MP | Party | Margin | Seat | MP | Party | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Electoral district of Orange Orange is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Andrew Gee of the National Party of Australia.... |
Russell Turner Russell Turner Russell William Turner , a former Australian politician, was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Orange between 1996 and 2011 for the National Party of Australia.... |
National | 5.9% | ||||
| Clarence Electoral district of Clarence Clarence is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales.It was represented by Steve Cansdell of the National Party of Australia until he resigned on 16th September 2011 due to issues relating to a statutory declaration related to a speeding offence... |
Steve Cansdell Steve Cansdell Stephen Rhett "Steve" Cansdell is a former Australian politician and former member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.... |
National | 5.3% | ||||
| Bega | Andrew Constance Andrew Constance Andrew James Constance MP , an Australian politician, is the New South Wales Minister for Ageing and Disability Services in the O'Farrell government, since 2011... |
Liberal | 4.7% | ||||
| Pittwater Electoral district of Pittwater Pittwater is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Located in Sydney's north-east, it is 175.32 km² in size, and comprises the local government area of Pittwater Council and parts of Warringah Council... |
Alex McTaggart Alex McTaggart Alex McTaggart MP, a former Australian politician, was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Pittwater between 2005 and 2007... |
Independent | 5.4% | Goulburn Electoral district of Goulburn Goulburn is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Pru Goward of the Liberal Party of Australia.... |
Peta Seaton Peta Seaton Peta Luise Seaton , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Southern Highlands for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1996 until her retirement prior to the 2007 election.... |
Liberal | 4.5% |
| Wollondilly Electoral district of Wollondilly Wollondilly is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently held by Jai Rowell of the Liberal Party of Australia.... |
New seat | Labor | 4.6% | Hornsby Electoral district of Hornsby Hornsby is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Hornsby is one of two post-1927 electorates to have never been held by the Labor party and always by the Liberals, a predecessor party to the Liberals, or an independent, the other such district... |
Judy Hopwood Judy Hopwood Judith "Judy" Hopwood , a former Australian politician, was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Hornsby for Liberal Party of Australia between 2002 and 2011.... |
Liberal | 4.2% |
| Monaro Electoral district of Monaro Monaro is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Barilaro of the National Party of Australia.... |
Steve Whan Steve Whan Steve Whan , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, appointed in June 2011 to fill a casual vacancy. Whan represented the electoral district of Monaro in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party from 2003 until his defeat at... |
Labor | 4.4% | Baulkham Hills | Wayne Merton Wayne Merton Wayne Ashley Merton , a former Australian politician, was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorates of Carlingford between 1988 and 1991 and Baulkham Hills between 1991 and 2011 for the Liberal Party of Australia... |
Liberal | 4.0% |
| Tweed Electoral district of Tweed Tweed is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Geoff Provest of the National Party of Australia. It includes eastern Tweed Shire, including Tweed Heads, Kingscliff, Fingal Head, Chinderah, Cudgen, Bogangar, Pottsville and... |
Neville Newell Neville Newell Neville Joseph Newell is an Australian politician. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 until 1996 and as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2007.... |
Labor | 4.0% | Lane Cove Electoral district of Lane Cove Lane Cove is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Anthony Roberts of the Liberal Party of Australia... |
Anthony Roberts Anthony Roberts Anthony John Roberts MP , an Australian politician, is the New South Wales Minister for Fair Trading in the O'Farrell-Stoner Liberal/National coalitition government... |
Liberal | 2.8% |
| Tamworth Electoral district of Tamworth Tamworth is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Kevin Anderson of the National Party of Australia... |
Peter Draper Peter Draper Peter Ross Draper , a former Australian politician, represented Tamworth as an independent politician between 2003 and 2011.... |
Independent | 1.9% | South Coast Electoral district of South Coast South Coast is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Shelley Hancock of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for South Coast:-Election results:... |
Shelley Hancock Shelley Hancock Shelley Elizabeth Hancock MP , an Australian politician, was elected as the first female Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the first sitting of Parliament following the 2011 state election... |
Liberal | 1.6% |
| Manly Electoral district of Manly Manly is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has historically tended to be a Liberal-leaning seat. It is currently represented by the Treasurer of New South Wales, Mike Baird of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Manly:-Election... |
David Barr | Independent | 1.2% | Murray-Darling Electoral district of Murray-Darling Murray-Darling is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Williams of the National Party of Australia.... |
Peter Black Peter Black (Australian politician) Peter Laurence Black OAM is an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.Black was born in the Sydney suburb of Hurstville and educated at Sydney Boy's Technical High School and received a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales... |
Labor | -1.3% |
| Dubbo Electoral district of Dubbo Dubbo is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Troy Grant of the National Party of Australia.... |
Dawn Fardell Dawn Fardell Dawn Elizabeth Fardell , a former Australian politician, was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Dubbo between 2004 and 2011.-Early years and background:... |
Independent | 0.3% | Terrigal Electoral district of Terrigal Terrigal is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was contested for the first time at the 2007 election and was won by the former member for Gosford, Chris Hartcher of the Liberal Party of Australia. Hartcher was re-elected at the 2011... |
Chris Hartcher Chris Hartcher Christopher "Chris" Peter Hartcher MP , an Australian politician, is the New South Wales Minister for Resources and Energy, Special Minister of State and Minister for the Central Coast in the O'Farrell-Stoner Liberal/National coalitition government... |
Liberal | 0.6% |
Seats changing hands
| Seat | Pre-2007 | Swing | Post-2007 | ||||||
| Party | Member | Margin | Margin | Member | Party | ||||
| Port Stephens Electoral district of Port Stephens Port Stephens is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Craig Baumann of the Liberal Party who won 51.1% of the primary vote at the 2011 election.... |
Labor | John Bartlett John Bartlett John Bartlett may refer to:*John Bartlett *John Bartlett , publisher of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations*John H... |
7.2 | -7.3 | 0.1 | Craig Baumann Craig Baumann Craig Asbjorn Baumann MP , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Port Stephens for the Liberal Party since 2007.Baumann was elected at the 2007 state election... |
Liberal | ||
| Manly Electoral district of Manly Manly is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has historically tended to be a Liberal-leaning seat. It is currently represented by the Treasurer of New South Wales, Mike Baird of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Manly:-Election... |
Independent | David Barr | 1.2 | -4.6 | 3.4 | Mike Baird | Liberal | ||
| Murray-Darling Electoral district of Murray-Darling Murray-Darling is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Williams of the National Party of Australia.... ¶ |
Labor | Peter Black Peter Black Peter Black may refer to:*Peter Black *Peter Black... |
-1.3 | -8.8 | 10.1 | John Williams John Williams John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T... |
National | ||
| Tweed Electoral district of Tweed Tweed is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Geoff Provest of the National Party of Australia. It includes eastern Tweed Shire, including Tweed Heads, Kingscliff, Fingal Head, Chinderah, Cudgen, Bogangar, Pottsville and... |
Labor | Neville Newell Neville Newell Neville Joseph Newell is an Australian politician. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 until 1996 and as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2007.... |
4.0 | -7.1 | 3.0 | Geoff Provest Geoff Provest Geoffrey Keith Provest is an Australian politician and National Party of Australia member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Provest has represented the Tweed since 24 March 2007.... |
National | ||
| Pittwater Electoral district of Pittwater Pittwater is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Located in Sydney's north-east, it is 175.32 km² in size, and comprises the local government area of Pittwater Council and parts of Warringah Council... § |
Independent | Alex McTaggart Alex McTaggart Alex McTaggart MP, a former Australian politician, was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Pittwater between 2005 and 2007... |
5.4 | -14.8 | 9.4 | Rob Stokes Rob Stokes Robert "Rob" Gordon Stokes BA, LLM MP , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Pittwater for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2007. He is currently the NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy.-Early life and background:Stokes grew... |
Liberal | ||
| Hawkesbury Electoral district of Hawkesbury Hawkesbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Steven Pringle, formerly of the Liberal Party of Australia, who contested the 2007 election as an independent but was defeated by Ray Williams of the Liberal Party of... ‡ |
Independent | Steven Pringle Steven Pringle Steven Bruce Scott Pringle is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2003 to 2007, representing the electorate of Hawkesbury.... |
N/A | -8.6 | 6.0 | Ray Williams Ray Williams Ray Williams may refer to:* Ray Williams , basketball player* Ray Williams , founder of HIH Insurance* Ray Williams , English football player... |
Liberal | ||
| Lake Macquarie Electoral district of Lake Macquarie Lake Macquarie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Hunter region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently represented by the independent Greg Piper.-Members for Lake Macquarie:-Election results:... |
Labor | Jeff Hunter | 11.6 | -11.7 | 0.1 | Greg Piper Greg Piper Gregory Michael Piper MP , an Australian politician, is the independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Lake Macquarie since 2007. Piper also serves as Mayor of City of Lake Macquarie, since 2004.-Early years and background:Piper grew up in the Lake Macquarie suburb... |
Independent | ||
¶In 2003
New South Wales state election, 2003
Elections to the 53rd Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 22 March 2003. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
, Labor won Murray Darling
Electoral district of Murray-Darling
Murray-Darling is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Williams of the National Party of Australia....
on a 6.7% margin, however the subsequent redistribution made it notionally National. Labor officially lost the seat at the 2007 election.
§ Pittwater
Electoral district of Pittwater
Pittwater is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Located in Sydney's north-east, it is 175.32 km² in size, and comprises the local government area of Pittwater Council and parts of Warringah Council...
was won by an Independent in a 2005 by-election
Pittwater state by-election, 2005
A by-election was staged in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly district of Pittwater on 26 November 2005. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting member and former Liberal Party leader John Brogden....
and the shown swing is based on it. At the 2003 election
New South Wales state election, 2003
Elections to the 53rd Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 22 March 2003. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
it was won by the Liberals.
‡In 2003
New South Wales state election, 2003
Elections to the 53rd Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 22 March 2003. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
, Hawkesbury
Electoral district of Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Steven Pringle, formerly of the Liberal Party of Australia, who contested the 2007 election as an independent but was defeated by Ray Williams of the Liberal Party of...
was won by Steve Pringle, representing the Liberals on a 14.6% margin against Labor. In 2006, he defected from the Liberals to become an Independent.
High-profile seats
SydneyBalmain
Electoral district of Balmain
Balmain is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian state of New South Wales in Sydney's Inner West. It includes the suburbs and localities of Annandale, Balmain, Balmain East, Birchgrove, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Glebe Island, Haberfield, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Rozelle,...
, in Sydney's inner-western suburbs, was with Marrickville one of two seats considered potentially winnable for the Greens. Labor incumbent Verity Firth
Verity Firth
Verity Helen Firth is the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Education Foundation in Australia and a former politician....
suffered a 2.9% primary and 3.2% two-candidate preferred swing against the Greens, to finish on 39.2% and 53.8% respectively.
The Liberals held on to Hawkesbury
Electoral district of Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Steven Pringle, formerly of the Liberal Party of Australia, who contested the 2007 election as an independent but was defeated by Ray Williams of the Liberal Party of...
despite an independent challenge from Steven Pringle
Steven Pringle
Steven Bruce Scott Pringle is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2003 to 2007, representing the electorate of Hawkesbury....
, the disendorsed Liberal incumbent. Pringle won 28.0% of the primary vote, at the expense of Labor and other independent candidates. Liberal candidate Ray Williams
Ray Williams (Australian politician)
Ray Williams, MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Hawkesbury for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2007.-Early life and background:...
saw his primary vote dip by just 1.0%.
In Macquarie Fields
Electoral district of Macquarie Fields
Macquarie Fields is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, located in the outer south-western suburbs of Sydney. It is currently represented by Dr Andrew McDonald of the Australian Labor Party....
, high-profile Liberal candidate Nola Fraser
Nola Fraser
Nola Therese Fraser is an Australian small business owner, former nurse and former Liberal candidate on two occasions for the seat of Macquarie Fields. Fraser became a whistleblower at two Sydney hospitals where she worked though none of her claims have been substantiated and have been shown to...
achieved a 12% swing in two-party-preferred terms compared to the 2003 poll. The incumbent, Labor's Steven Chaytor
Steven Chaytor
Steven John Chaytor is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2007, representing the southwest Sydney electorate of Macquarie Fields....
, had bowed out of the contest after being convicted for assaulting his girlfriend. Local issues such as hospital scandals and the 2005 Macquarie Fields riots
2005 Macquarie Fields riots
The Macquarie Fields riots were a series of disturbances across southwest Sydney in February 2005 which were referred to as a riot by both the Parliament of New South Wales and the media....
may have also contributed to the high Liberal vote. Labor candidate Andrew McDonald
Andrew McDonald (Australian politician)
Andrew Dominic McDonald is an Australian doctor and politician. He attended St. Leo's Catholic College in Wahroonga, before studying medicine at the University of Sydney. He worked as a paediatrician at Campbelltown Hospital for 17 years prior to joining the Labor Party...
won Macquarie Fields comfortably.
The Liberals won Manly
Electoral district of Manly
Manly is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has historically tended to be a Liberal-leaning seat. It is currently represented by the Treasurer of New South Wales, Mike Baird of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Manly:-Election...
from the independents for the first time since the 1980s. Sitting MP David Barr lost to Mike Baird
Mike Baird (Australian politician)
Michael Bruce "Mike" Baird MP, an Australian politician, is the Treasurer of New South Wales in the O'Farrell Government since 2011. He is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Manly for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2007....
, who increased the Liberals' primary vote by 4.4%.
Marrickville
Electoral district of Marrickville
Marrickville is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a 13.47 km² urban electorate in Sydney's inner west, centred on the suburb of Marrickville from which it takes its name...
, in Sydney's inner west, was with Balmain the other seat considered potentially winnable for the Greens. Labor's Carmel Tebbutt
Carmel Tebbutt
Carmel Mary Tebbutt is an Australian politician. She is the Australian Labor Party Member for Marrickville in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and was Deputy Premier of New South Wales from 2008 to 2011. She was also Minister for Health in the Keneally Government...
suffered a 1.1% primary and 2.6% two-candidate preferred swing against the Greens, to finish on 46.6% and 57.5% respectively. Tebbutt won the seat in a 2005 by-election after quitting the Legislative Council, and is a senior member of the party's left wing and has a strong personal following in the area.
The Liberals lost Pittwater
Electoral district of Pittwater
Pittwater is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Located in Sydney's north-east, it is 175.32 km² in size, and comprises the local government area of Pittwater Council and parts of Warringah Council...
to independent Alex McTaggart
Alex McTaggart
Alex McTaggart MP, a former Australian politician, was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Pittwater between 2005 and 2007...
at a by-election called after the resignation of John Brogden. The Liberals' Rob Stokes
Rob Stokes
Robert "Rob" Gordon Stokes BA, LLM MP , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Pittwater for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2007. He is currently the NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy.-Early life and background:Stokes grew...
won the seat back on primaries, taking 50.5% of the vote.
Rural and regional
Independent DubboElectoral district of Dubbo
Dubbo is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Troy Grant of the National Party of Australia....
MP Dawn Fardell
Dawn Fardell
Dawn Elizabeth Fardell , a former Australian politician, was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Dubbo between 2004 and 2011.-Early years and background:...
fought off a challenge from the Nationals to retain her seat. The Nationals lost ground slightly, but the seat remains one of the state's most marginal.
Star Liberal candidate Pru Goward
Pru Goward
Prudence Jane Goward MP , an Australian politician, is the Minister for Community Services and Women in the O'Farrell Liberal-National Coalition Government since 2011. Goward is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Goulburn for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2007...
beat off a tough fight in Goulburn
Electoral district of Goulburn
Goulburn is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Pru Goward of the Liberal Party of Australia....
with independent candidate Paul Stephenson capturing a quarter of the vote. Goward was helped by the Nationals' decision not to run in the seat but both Labor and the Coalition lost ground. Allegations surfaced during the campaign that Labor was assisting Stephenson's campaign.
Independent Greg Piper
Greg Piper
Gregory Michael Piper MP , an Australian politician, is the independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Lake Macquarie since 2007. Piper also serves as Mayor of City of Lake Macquarie, since 2004.-Early years and background:Piper grew up in the Lake Macquarie suburb...
won the safe seat of Lake Macquarie
Electoral district of Lake Macquarie
Lake Macquarie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Hunter region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently represented by the independent Greg Piper.-Members for Lake Macquarie:-Election results:...
from Labor's Jeff Hunter. Labor and the Liberals lost 10.4% and 15.7% of their primary vote respectively.
Sitting Labor MP Bryce Gaudry
Bryce Gaudry
Bryce James Gaudry, BA MP was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Newcastle....
chose to stand as an independent after being disendorsed by his party in the seat of Newcastle
Electoral district of Newcastle
Newcastle is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales named after and including Newcastle. It is represented by Tim Owen of the Liberal Party of Australia.-History:...
. Gaudry and another independent, John Tate, both outpolled the Greens and the Liberals. Labor's Jodi McKay
Jodi McKay
Jodi Leyanne McKay is a former Australian politician who represented the electoral district of Newcastle in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 until her defeat at the New South Wales state election, 2011.McKay was the Minister for Tourism and the Minister for the Hunter in the Rees...
suffered a 17.1% swing against her but won the seat on preferences.
Port Stephens
Electoral district of Port Stephens
Port Stephens is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Craig Baumann of the Liberal Party who won 51.1% of the primary vote at the 2011 election....
Incumbent Labor MP John Bartlett
John Bartlett (Australian politician)
John Richard Bartlett was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly....
retired at this election. The Liberals' Craig Baumann
Craig Baumann
Craig Asbjorn Baumann MP , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Port Stephens for the Liberal Party since 2007.Baumann was elected at the 2007 state election...
added 8.7% to his party's primary vote in the seat to outpoll Labor, and narrowly defeat ALP candidate Jim Arneman.
The Labor member for Swansea
Electoral district of Swansea
Swansea is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Hunter Region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Milton Orkopoulos of the Australian Labor Party until his arrest in 2006 on allegations of child sex and drugs offences. It is now represented by Garry...
, Milton Orkopoulos
Milton Orkopoulos
Milton Orkopoulos is a former Australian Labor Party politician, and convicted criminal. A member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1999, Orkopoulos was appointed Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship in August 2005.In November 2006, New...
, resigned from parliament after being charged with a number of child-sex and drug offenses. An expected backlash against the ALP materialised in the form of an 11.3% swing, with independent candidate Laurie Coghlan the main beneficiary. Nonetheless, Labor candidate Robert Coombs
Robert Coombs
Robert Darcy Coombs is an Australian politician and former Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Coombs represented the electorate of Swansea from 2007 to his defeat at the New South Wales state election, 2011.Coombs is the son of Max and Clare Coombs and has...
was able to hold the seat with a comfortable majority.
Tweed
Electoral district of Tweed
Tweed is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Geoff Provest of the National Party of Australia. It includes eastern Tweed Shire, including Tweed Heads, Kingscliff, Fingal Head, Chinderah, Cudgen, Bogangar, Pottsville and...
, Labor's most marginal seat, fell to the Nationals' Geoff Provest
Geoff Provest
Geoffrey Keith Provest is an Australian politician and National Party of Australia member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. Provest has represented the Tweed since 24 March 2007....
. Labor incumbent Neville Newell
Neville Newell
Neville Joseph Newell is an Australian politician. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 until 1996 and as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2007....
had previously served two terms (six years) in the federal seat of Richmond
Division of Richmond
The Division of Richmond is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the far north-east of the state, along the Pacific coast...
before his two terms (eight years) in the State Parliament. A swing of 7.8% meant that the seat changed from being a marginal seat for Labor to a National Party marginal.
The Liberals lost primary votes in the seat of Wyong
Electoral district of Wyong
Wyong is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. The district is a 44,017 km² urban and semi-rural electorate on the Central Coast. The main urban centres are the towns of Wyong, Toukley and Wyee...
, bucking the statewide swing to the party. The Liberals had disendorsed candidate Brenton Pavier after details emerged of a sex joke he had sent to friends via SMS. The Liberals' new candidate, Ben Morton, managed a 5.4% swing in two-party-preferred terms, not enough to take victory from Labor candidate David Harris
David Harris (Australian politician)
David Robert Harris is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electoral district of Wyong from 24 March 2007 until his defeat at the 2011 state election.-Personal life:Harris is one of three children born to...
. Incumbent Labor MP Paul Crittenden
Paul Crittenden
Paul Ronald Crittenden is a former ALP politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Electoral district of Wyong from 1991 to 2007 ....
retired at the election.
High profile candidates
- Dawn FraserDawn FraserDawn Fraser AO, MBE is an Australian champion swimmer. She is one of only two swimmers to win the same Olympic event three times – in her case the 100 meters freestyle....
, a champion swimmer, headed her own independent ticket for the Legislative Council, but was unsuccessful in getting elected. - Pru GowardPru GowardPrudence Jane Goward MP , an Australian politician, is the Minister for Community Services and Women in the O'Farrell Liberal-National Coalition Government since 2011. Goward is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Goulburn for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2007...
, a former federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, won GoulburnElectoral district of GoulburnGoulburn is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Pru Goward of the Liberal Party of Australia....
for the Liberals - Mamdouh HabibMamdouh HabibMamdouh Habib is an Egyptian born Australian Muslim best known for his extrajudicial detention in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba, on suspicion of involvement in terrorism....
, a former Guantanamo Bay detention camp inmate, ran as an independent in Auburn - Phil Koperberg, the state's Rural Fire Service chief, won Blue Mountains for Labor
- Jodi McKayJodi McKayJodi Leyanne McKay is a former Australian politician who represented the electoral district of Newcastle in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 until her defeat at the New South Wales state election, 2011.McKay was the Minister for Tourism and the Minister for the Hunter in the Rees...
, a former NBN TelevisionNBN TelevisionNBN Television is a television station based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout the northern half of New South Wales and...
newsreader, won NewcastleElectoral district of NewcastleNewcastle is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales named after and including Newcastle. It is represented by Tim Owen of the Liberal Party of Australia.-History:...
for Labor - June Dally Watkins, head of the eponymous deportment school, was a Legislative Council candidate for the Christian Democrats
Retiring
A number of MPs did not seek re-election in 2007. Liberal MPs Andrew TinkAndrew Tink
Andrew Arnold Tink BA LLB MP is a former Australian politician, having served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 2007....
(Epping
Electoral district of Epping
Epping is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Greg Smith of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Epping:-Election results:...
) and Peta Seaton
Peta Seaton
Peta Luise Seaton , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Southern Highlands for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1996 until her retirement prior to the 2007 election....
, (Southern Highlands
Electoral district of Southern Highlands
Southern Highlands was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1988 to 2007, named after the Southern Highlands. It was replaced by a recreated Goulburn electorate.-Members for Southern Highlands:...
) retired. Andrew Humpherson
Andrew Humpherson
Andrew Humpherson, is a former Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Davidson from 1992-2007.-Early life:...
(Davidson
Electoral district of Davidson
Davidson is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Jonathan O'Dea of the Liberal Party of Australia.-Members for Davidson:-Election results:...
) lost preselection and did not contest his seat. Nationals MP Ian Slack-Smith
Ian Slack-Smith
Ian Lindsay Slack-Smith MP is a former Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.Slack-Smith was born in Narrabri and educated at The King's School, Sydney. He is married with five children. He represented Barwon for the National Party of Australia...
(Barwon) also retired.
The Labor MPs retiring at the 2007 election were John Bartlett
John Bartlett (Australian politician)
John Richard Bartlett was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly....
(Port Stephens
Electoral district of Port Stephens
Port Stephens is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Craig Baumann of the Liberal Party who won 51.1% of the primary vote at the 2011 election....
), Paul Crittenden
Paul Crittenden
Paul Ronald Crittenden is a former ALP politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Electoral district of Wyong from 1991 to 2007 ....
(Wyong
Electoral district of Wyong
Wyong is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. The district is a 44,017 km² urban and semi-rural electorate on the Central Coast. The main urban centres are the towns of Wyong, Toukley and Wyee...
), John Mills
John Mills (Australian politician)
John Charles Mills B.Sc. M.Sc. M.R.A.C.I. was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly....
(Wallsend
Electoral district of Wallsend
Wallsend is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Wallsend is a Newcastle suburban electorate, deriving its name from the suburb of the same name, covering 118.57 km² and encompassing at least part of the suburbs of Wallsend, Edgeworth,...
), Sandra Nori (Port Jackson
Electoral district of Port Jackson
Port Jackson was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It was created at the 1991 election and was abolished at the 2007 election being substantially replaced by the recreated electorates of Balmain and Sydney following a redistribution of...
), John Price
John Price (New South Wales politician)
John Charles Price is an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.Price was born in Mayfield, New South Wales. He was previously a marine engineer, a public servant and an engineering/marketing consultant...
(Maitland
Electoral district of Maitland
Maitland is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Robyn Parker of the Liberal Party of Australia....
) and Kim Yeadon
Kim Yeadon
Kimberley Maxwell Yeadon, MP was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.Yeadon was born in Goulburn, New South Wales, but was brought up in Western Sydney...
(Granville
Electoral district of Granville
Granville is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in Sydney's West. It is currently represented by Tony Issa of the Liberal Party of Australia.-History:...
). Steven Chaytor
Steven Chaytor
Steven John Chaytor is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2007, representing the southwest Sydney electorate of Macquarie Fields....
(Macquarie Fields
Electoral district of Macquarie Fields
Macquarie Fields is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, located in the outer south-western suburbs of Sydney. It is currently represented by Dr Andrew McDonald of the Australian Labor Party....
) and Milton Orkopoulos
Milton Orkopoulos
Milton Orkopoulos is a former Australian Labor Party politician, and convicted criminal. A member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1999, Orkopoulos was appointed Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship in August 2005.In November 2006, New...
(Swansea
Electoral district of Swansea
Swansea is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Hunter Region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It was represented by Milton Orkopoulos of the Australian Labor Party until his arrest in 2006 on allegations of child sex and drugs offences. It is now represented by Garry...
), each arrested for violent crimes in late 2006, pulled out of the election. Carl Scully
Carl Scully
Patrick Carl Scully , was an Australian politician and minister in the New South Wales state government before his forced resignation on 25 October 2006....
(Smithfield
Electoral district of Smithfield
Smithfield is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Andrew Rohan of the Liberal Party of Australia, who was elected as the first ever Liberal candidate of the electorate at the New South Wales state election, 2011.-Members...
), dumped from the ministry for misleading parliament, chose not to recontest his seat. Attorney-General Bob Debus
Bob Debus
Robert John "Bob" Debus AM , a former Australian politician, has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives and the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the Australian Labor Party. Debus has been a minister in both the Australian and New South Wales governments...
(Blue Mountains) did not seek re-election, in anticipation of a move to federal politics.
Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, elected by proportional representation, operates as a house of review in the New South Wales parliament. It is rare for parties or coalitions to secure a majority in this house.The count was completed and results for the Legislative Council declared on 10 April.
| Legislative Council election, 2007 | |||||||
| Party | Votes | % won | Swing | 2007 seats | 2003 seats | Total seats | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1,491,719 | 39.1 | ↓4.4 | 9 | 10 | 19 | ↑1 |
| Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... /National National Party of Australia The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is... Coalition Coalition (Australia) The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922... |
1,304,166 | 34.2 | ↑0.9 | 8 | 7 | 15 | ↑2 |
| Australian Greens Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which... |
347,548 | 9.1 | ↑0.5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ↑1 |
| Christian Democratic Party Christian Democratic Party (Australia) The Christian Democratic Party is a right-wing political party in Australia. Its leader is Fred Nile, a Congregational Church minister and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.-Formation:... |
168,545 | 4.4 | ↑1.4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Shooters Party Shooters Party The Shooters and Fishers Party, formerly known as the Shooters Party, is an Australian state political party. It is registered for state elections in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia... |
106,513 | 2.8 | ↑0.8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ↑1 |
| Australian Democrats Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader... |
50,342 | 1.8 | ↑0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ↓1 |
| Unity Party Unity Party The Unity Party is the name of several political parties around the world, including:*Batasuna , a Basque political party in Spain linked to ETA, a group banned as a terrorist organisation by the Spanish government.... |
37,824 | 1.2 | ↓0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ↓1 |
| Outdoor Recreation Party Outdoor Recreation Party The Outdoor Recreation Party is a minor political party in Australia. It largely represents the outdoor community and such interests as cycling, mountain biking, bushwalking, camping, kayaking, 4WDing, skiing, fishing lobbies, as well as similar recreational groups with an interest in the outdoors... |
18,455 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ↓1 | |
| Human Rights Party | 11,883 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ↓1 | |
| One Nation Party One Nation Party One Nation is a far-right and nationalist political party in Australia. It gained 22% of the vote translating to 11 of 89 seats in Queensland's unicameral legislative assembly at the 1998 state election and made major inroads into the vote of the existing parties... |
na | na | 0 | 0 | 0 | ↓1 | |
| Total | 3,811,245 | 21 | 21 | 42 | |||
The Liberal and National parties ran a joint Legislative Council ticket, winning 5 seats for the Liberals and 3 seats for the Nationals and bringing the parties' totals to 10 and 5 respectively.
Electoral changes made after the 1999 election, which saw seats go to so-called microparties through elaborate preference deals, meant that both the major party groups made gains in the 2007 election. The Labor Party with 39.1% of the vote gained 1 seat, to win 9, whilst the Liberal and National Parties with 34.2% gained 1 seat each to make a combined gain of 2, thereby winning 8 seats. The effect of this outcome is that Labor now holds 19 out of 42 council seats, just 3 short of a majority, whilst the Coalition holds 15 seats.
The Greens achieved a primary vote of 9.1%, an increase from their result in the 2003 election. This has allowed them to win 2 seats (1 additional seat), bringing their total to 4 seats. This result appears to put them in a favourable position, in which they can exercise the parliamentary balance of power, and potentially provide the Labor government with the necessary majority to get legislation through the upper chamber of Parliament.
Fred Nile's Christian Democratic Party (CDP) achieved 4.4% of the vote (↑1.4%), allowing Nile
Fred Nile
Frederick John "Fred" Nile is an Australian politician and clergyman. Nile has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 1981, except for a period in 2004 when he resigned to contest the Australian Senate at the 2004 federal election...
to retain his seat, and keeping the CDP's representation at 2 seats. The Shooters Party won the remaining seat, on 2.8% of the vote, thereby increasing their representation to 2 seats.
The losers from the 2007 election were the Australian Democrats, Unity Party, Outdoor Recreation Party (ORP), Human Rights Party (HRP) (formerly Reform the Legal System Party) and One Nation. These five parties lost their single remaining parliamentary seat, which they had won in 1999. The Australian Democrats and Unity Party polled less than 2%, ORP and HRP polled well below 1%, whilst neither One Nation, nor their former representative-turned-Independent, David Oldfield, contested the 2007 election.