I’ve left the front page of the blog quiet for most of the last month while I have worked hard at posting seat profiles for all 93 Legislative Assembly districts for the upcoming NSW state election on March 26.
I have now finished 62 electoral districts, including all 50 Labor seats, 6 independent seats, and 6 Coalition seats.
A few seats I have posted that will be of particular interest to readers:
- Wollongong – Normally a safe Labor seat, scandal-ridden MP Noreen Hay is facing a strong independent challenge from Gordon Bradbery, a former Uniting Church minister. Bradbery was removed from his position by the state church in a controversial decision in 2009. Many local sources suggest Bradbery will run a strong campaign and could have a chance.
- Port Stephens – A former Labor seat, it was won by the Liberal Party by 68 votes in 2007. Despite the slim margin, the Liberals should maintain their hold in 2011.
- Kogarah – Despite a 17.7% margin for the ALP, this area has been good for the Liberals in the past and many have suggested it could fall in 2011.
- Campbelltown – Held by 18.5%, Campbelltown would usually be held comfortably by the ALP. The retirement of sitting MP Graham West triggered a preselection contest. While most local branches supported Campbelltown councillor Anoulack Chanthivong, the ALP head office preselected former Macarthur federal candidate Nick Bleasdale, amid concerns about whether Campbelltown voters would vote for someone of Indian heritage.
NSW head office is right though – Campbelltown’s one of the more racist areas in Sydney – why would they vote for an Indian, given all the shit that went down with the Muslim school thing?
You’re confusing Campbelltown with Camden. The Muslim school issue was in Camden. Campbelltown is quite a multicultural area.
If you ask me, the ethnicity of a candidate shouldn’t matter – it’s their views on the issues that really matters when you go into that booth.
Matt, I agree with you that it shouldn’t, but it’s common knowledge that some Australians are racist. There’s a good chance that the ethnicity of some candidates can count.
Matt – not out there mate. In these parts many people only vote because they have to and they generally vote Labor (but not Green). That’s what makes this election rather interesting, seats like Campbelltown may actually fall to the co-alition.
Actually I’d go so far as to say that if voting wasn’t compulsory, the ALP would probably get 5 or 6 seats in this election.
Anoulack Chanthivong is actually of Laotian heritage and given that he’s already on council, i can’t see why the apparatchiks would be concerned that the people of Campbelltown wouldn’t vote for him.
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