The Entrance – NSW 2019

ALP 0.4%

Incumbent MP
David Mehan, since 2015.

Geography
Central Coast. The Entrance covers areas on the southern side of Lake Tuggerah, including the suburbs of The Entrance, Bateau Bay, Killarney Vale, Tuggerah and Wyoming and parts of Narara and Berkeley Vale. Most of the seat’s population lies in Wyong Shire, with part in the City of Gosford.

History
The seat of The Entrance has existed since the 1988 election. Prior to that period, the area covered by The Entrance had been covered by the seats of Gosford, Wyong, Munmorah and Tuggerah.

It was won in 1988 by the Liberal Party’s Bob Graham, despite the seat having a notional Labor majority.

In 1991, Graham defeated the ALP’s Grant McBride by only 116 votes, and the result was thrown out by the Court of Disputed Returns in December 1991. The Liberal Party’s hold on power was fragile, relying on the support of independent Tony Windsor to hold a majority. Following the decision in The Entrance, the Liberal Party was required to come to an arrangement with other independents.

In the ensuing by-election, McBride won the seat off Graham, with a 4.7% margin.

McBride was re-elected in The Entrance at the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 elections. He served as a minister in the Labor state government from 2003 to 2007.

McBride retired in 2011, and The Entrance was won by Liberal candidate Chris Spence, who benefited from a 17.3% swing.

Spence stood aside from the Liberal Party in early 2014 after accusations were made at the Independent Commission Against Corruption that he had taken donations from a prohibited donor. He did not run in 2015.

Labor’s David Mehan narrowly won The Entrance in 2015.

Candidates

• David Mehan (Labor)
• Jake Fitzpatrick (Keep Sydney Open)
• Hadden Ervin (Conservatives)
• Stephen Pearson (Greens)
• Margaret Jones (Sustainable Australia)
• Brian Perrem (Liberal)
• Maddy Richards (Animal Justice)

Assessment
The Entrance is extremely marginal, but if there is a statewide swing to Labor this seat is likley to stay in Labor hands.

2015 result

2015 two-party-preferred result

Booth breakdown

Booths in The Entrance were split into three parts: central, east and west.

Labor won a majority of the two-party-preferred vote in all three areas, with 50.1% in the centre and 50.8% in the east and west.

Two-party-preferred votes in The Entrance at the 2015 NSW state election

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