Terrigal – NSW 2011

LIB 8.4%

Incumbent MP
Chris Hartcher, since 2007. Previously Member for Gosford 1988-2007.

Geography
Central Coast. Terrigal covers those parts of the City of Gosford running along the coast, as well as a tiny part of Wyong Shire. The seat covers Forresters Beach, Holgate, Wamberal, Erina, Terrigal, Avoca, Copacabana, Kincumber, Davistown, Empire Bay, Macmasters Beach and Killcare.

History
The seat of Terrigal was created at the 2007 election. It was largely the successor to the seat of Gosford. The 2007 redistribution had shifted borders such that the town of Gosford moved into the nieghbouring seat of Peats, resulting in Peats being renamed Gosford and the former Gosford being renamed Terrigal. The old seat of Gosford had shifted between parties, but had been held by the Liberals since 1988.

A district with the name ‘Gosford’ has existed since the 1950 election. Prior to that period the southern parts of the Central Coast were combined with a seat covering the Hawkesbury.

The seat was held by the Liberal Party from its creation in 1950 to 1971, when it was won by the ALP.

In 1973, the seat of Gosford was broken into the seats of Gosford and Peats. The seat of Peats is the most immediate predecessor of the current seat of Gosford, while the seat of Gosford in 1973 mostly resembles the current seat of Terrigal.

The ALP had first won Gosford in 1971, but when the seats were divided in 1973, the sitting member Keith O’Connell moved to the safer seat of Peats. Gosford was won by the Liberal Party’s Malcolm Brooks.

Brooks lost in 1976 to the ALP’s Brian McGowan by only 74 votes. McGowan held the seat until his defeat in 1988.

Chris Hartcher won Gosford for the Liberal Party in 1988. He served as a minister in the Coalition state government from 1992 to 1995. He retained Gosford throughout the 1990s, and in 2003 he held on by only 272 votes. He had been Liberal deputy leader from 2002 until 2003, but was replaced by Barry O’Farrell following the 2003 election.

Prior to the 2007 election, boundaries changed so that Gosford was effectively renamed Terrigal, and neighbouring Peats renamed Gosford. Hartcher won re-election to the renamed seat of Terrigal.

Candidates

Political situation
In current circumstances, the Liberal Party should have no trouble retaining Terrigal.

2007 result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Chris Hartcher LIB 20,857 49.9 +3.6
Deborah O’Neill ALP 14,211 34.0 -8.7
Terry Jones GRN 3,595 8.6 +1.3
Mark McAllan CDP 1,272 3.0 +2.8
Kay Hayes AAFI 915 2.2 +2.1
David Begg ORP 501 1.2 +1.2
Mark Ellis SOS 435 1.0 +1.0

2007 two-candidate-preferred result

Candidate Party Votes % Swing
Chris Hartcher LIB 22,374 58.4 +7.9
Deborah O’Neill ALP 15,907 41.6 -7.9

Booth breakdown
Booths in Terrigal have been divided into three areas: Erina in the north, Terrigal in the centre, and a number of suburbs grouped together as “South”.

The Liberal Party’s two-party-preferred vote was around 55% in Erina and the south, but over 62% in Terrigal.

Polling booths in Terrigal at the 2007 state election. Erina in green, Terrigal in orange, South in blue.
Voter group GRN % LIB 2CP % Total votes % of votes
Erina 7.9 55.3 13,644 32.7
Terrigal 8.8 62.4 12,121 29.0
South 9.3 55.8 7,063 16.9
Other votes 8.9 60.0 8,958 21.4
Two-party-preferred votes in Terrigal at the 2007 state election.

7 COMMENTS

  2. @GeoffRobinson: 100% agree

    The fact O’Neill took one of the Liberal Party’s most highly regarded local campaigners to such a tight race in 2003 is testament to her campaigning ability. Once again proved with her Robertson 2010 victory ‘against the odds’. Tough campaigner – will be hard for anyone to break her hold in Robertson now with the added benefit of incumbency.

    The Labor Party in Terrigal in 2011 are embarrassing. They will get lapped. Still no candidate.

    In the local paper today a former Liberal Councillor (quit after pre-selection flogging) then Independent (ignored by the electorate in 2008 LG elections) confirmed the long known rumour he wants Labor pre-selection.

  3. This seat is essentially the old (pre 2007) Gosford, hence Hartcher staying aboard. This seat will stay Liberal in all bar incredible circumstances …. margins may ebb & flow but essential status doesn’t change.

  4. Liberals will romp home here, margin will be doubled. The fact that the Liberals won the two Kincumber booths last time, suggest that the seat will always be Liberal. Kincumber is the least Liberal of all and the Libs still won it. Coppacabana though was a strange result.

  5. Um, Ben, I think you’ve got the booth groupings the wrong way around. Isn’t ‘Terrigal’ the northern set of booths in orange, and ‘Erina’ the central ones in green?

  6. Thanks for changing the caption, but I was actually referring to the text in the booth breakdown section.

    Seems there’s still no Labor candidate here, but I found a website for Independent candidate Michelle Meares.

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