Lakemba – NSW 2019

ALP 21.6%

Incumbent MP
Jihad Dib, since 2015.

Geography
South-western Sydney. The seat is mostly contained in Bankstown and Canterbury council areas, along with small parts of Hurstville and Strathfield council areas. Suburbs include Chullora, Greenacre, Lakemba, Mount Lewis, Punchbowl, Roselands and Wiley Park.

History
The electoral district of Lakemba has existed continuously since 1927. In that time, it has always been won by the ALP.

Fred Stanley won the district of Lakemba in 1927. The seat was expected to be won by member for St George, George Cann, but he was expelled from the ALP after opposing Jack Lang’s efforts to centralise power in his hands. Stanley held the seat for the next two decades. In 1949 Stanley didn’t follow the ALP line in casting a vote for a vacancy in the Legislative Council, along with three other ALP MPs. The four MPs were also suspected of having taken cash bribes in exchange for their votes. He was expelled from the ALP in 1950, and lost Lakemba at the 1950 election to the official ALP candidate, Stan Wyatt.

Wyatt held the seat until 1964, when he retired. He served as party whip from 1959 to 1964.

Vince Durick held Lakemba from 1964 until 1984. Wes Davoren followed him, serving from 1984 until his retirement in 1995.

Tony Stewart won Lakemba in 1995. Stewart moved to Bankstown in 1999 to make way for Morris Iemma, whose seat of Hurstville had been abolished by the redistribution. Stewart was re-elected in Bankstown 2003 and 2007. Stewart served as a minister for two months in late 2008, but was removed after he was accused of harrassing a staff member. Stewart is retiring at the upcoming election.

Iemma had won Hurstville in 1991, when it was a highly marginal seat, and he strengthened the ALP’s position in the area. Morris Iemma was appointed to the Carr government’s ministry after the 1999 election, and he worked his way up to the position of Health Minister.

When Bob Carr retired in 2005, Morris Iemma was elected ALP leader and Premier. He won another term for the Labor government in 2007. Following that election, he embarked on plans for privatisation of the NSW electricity industry. These plans deeply divided the ALP, and resulted in Iemma clashing with the ALP state conference. Following these events, Iemma resigned as Premier in September 2008 after losing the support of key powerbrokers.

Iemma resigned from Parliament soon after, triggering a by-election in Lakemba. By-elections were also held in Ryde, Cabramatta and Port Macquarie. The Lakemba by-election was won by Canterbury mayor Robert Furolo with a 13.5% swing against the ALP. Furolo was re-elected in 2011.

Furolo retired in 2015, and was succeeded by Labor candidate Jihad Dib.

Candidates

• Jihad Dib (Labor)
• Omar Najjar (Keep Sydney Open)
• Emmet De Bhaldraithe (Greens)
• Karl Schubert (Christian Democrats)
• Rashid Bhuiyan (Liberal)
• Dorlene Abou-Haidar (Animal Justice)

Assessment
Lakemba is a very safe Labor seat.

2015 result

2015 two-party-preferred result

Booth breakdown

Booths in Lakemba have been split into three parts: central, north and south. All those booths in the City of Bankstown were grouped as ‘north’, while those in the City of Canterbury were grouped as ‘central’ and ‘south’.

Labor won a majority of the two-party-preferred vote in all three areas, ranging from 66.9% in the south to 76.7% in the centre.

The Christian Democratic Party came third, with a vote ranging from 8.8% in the south to 19.5% in the north.

Election results in Lakemba at the 2015 NSW state election
Toggle between two-party-preferred votes and Christian Democratic Party primary votes.

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