A by-election was held for the New South Wales 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...

 seat of Penrith

Electoral district of Penrith

Penrith is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has been represented by Stuart Ayres of the Liberal Party of Australia since the 2010 by-election...

on 19 June 2010. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting member and Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Training Karyn Paluzzano

Karyn Paluzzano

Karyn Lesley Paluzzano is a former Australian politician. She was an Australian Labor Party Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2003 to 2010, representing the electorate of Penrith.-Private life:...

, who had lied to an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry over her actions, such as signing false staff payslips and rorting her electoral mail allowance. Paluzzano resigned from her position as Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Training after she admitted lying to ICAC. Paluzzano's ALP membership was terminated and she announced her resignation from Parliament on 7 May 2010.

The by-election was won by Liberal candidate Stuart Ayres

Stuart Ayres

Stuart Ayres MP is an Australian politician. He is a Liberal Party of Australia Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 19 June 2010, representing the electorate of Penrith.-Private life:...

, with a swing of 25.7 per cent from the Labor Party on two-candidate-preferred terms. The size of this swing sets a new NSW record in terms of magnitude; previously, the highest swing was the 23.1 per cent swing achieved by the Liberal Party in the 2008 Ryde by-election. Additionally, this result marks the first time that the Liberal Party has achieved a primary vote victory (and a primary vote majority) in Penrith, with the Labor primary vote having halved from the last election.

Notably, there was a swing of 7 per cent towards the 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...

, giving them over 12 per cent of the primary vote, an unusually high percentage for an outer suburban typically Labor seat.

Candidates

Candidates are listed in ballot paper order.

	Party	Candidate	Notes
	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...	John Thain
	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...	Suzie Wright
		Mick Saunders	A member of the unregistered Australia First Party Australia First Party The Australia First Party is a minor far-right political party in Australia that is federally registered and is also registered to contest local elections in New South Wales. The Party is led by Jim Saleam. Saleam is the Chairman of the Party in New South Wales but plays a major role in the Party... .
	Liberal Party of Australia 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...	Stuart Ayres Stuart Ayres Stuart Ayres MP is an Australian politician. He is a Liberal Party of Australia Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 19 June 2010, representing the electorate of Penrith.-Private life:...	Partner of Liberal Senator Marise Payne Marise Payne Marise Ann Payne is an Australian politician. She is a Liberal Senator for the state of New South Wales. Senator Payne was appointed to the Senate on 9 April 1997, and elected in 2001 for a full term, and again in 2007.-Early life:... .
	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...	David Leyonhjelm	Contested Bennelong Division of Bennelong The Division of Bennelong is an Australian electorate in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Bennelong, an Aboriginal man befriended by the first Governor of New South Wales, Arthur Phillip...  at the 2007 federal election for the Liberty and Democracy Party; former chair of the 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... .
	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...	Jose Sanz
	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:...	Andrew Green
	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Noel Selby

Results