LIB 18.8%
Incumbent MP
John Sidoti, since 2011.
Geography
Inner Western Sydney. The seat of Drummoyne covers suburbs on the southern side of Sydney Harbour, covering most of the City of Canada Bay. Suburbs include Drummoyne, Five Dock, Russell Lea, Concord, Rhodes and parts of North Strathfield.
History
Drummoyne has existed as an electoral district since 1913, with the exception of three elections in the 1920s when proportional representation, and Drummoyne was part of the Ryde multi-member district. Traditionally Drummoyne was dominated by conservatives, but it was held by the ALP continuously from 1962 to 2011.
The original seat was won by the Liberal/Nationalist party continuously from 1913 until its abolition in 1920, and then again was won by the Nationalists when it was restored in 1927, when it was won by John Lee, who had previously been one of five MLAs for Botany since 1920.
The ALP won Drummoyne off Lee in 1930, although he won back the seat in 1932. The ALP’s Robert Greig won Drummoyne in 1941, 14 years after he had last served in the Legislative Assembly as one of the Members for Ryde from 1920 to 1927.
Greig was defeated by the Liberal Party’s Robert Dewley in 1947. He held the seat for two terms, losing in 1953 to the ALP’s Roy Jackson.
Jackson held the seat for one term, and lost in 1956 to the Liberal Party’s Walter Lawrence. He held the seat for two terms, losing in 1962. He was the last Liberal to win Drummoyne.
In 1962, Drummoyne was won by the ALP’s Reg Coady, who had previously held the seat of Leichhardt since 1954, but moved to Drummoyne upon the abolition of his first seat. He retired in 1973.
Coady was succeeded in 1973 by Michael Maher. He held the seat until his resignation in 1982, when he ran for the by-election in the federal seat of Lowe. He held Lowe until his defeat in 1987.
The 1982 Drummoyne by-election was won by John Murray. He served as a shadow minister when Labor was in opposition, and served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1995 until his retirement in 2003.
Drummoyne has been held since 2003 by Angela D’Amore. D’Amore was appointed a Parliamentary Secretary in March 2010, but her rise was cut short by an ICAC inquiry in late 2010. This inquiry looked into misuse of parliamentary allowances, and she was found to have engaged in corrupt conduct. Following this decision, Premier Kristina Keneally removed her as a Parliamentary Secretary, and her membership of the Labor Party was suspended.
In 2011, Liberal candidate John Sidoti won Drummoyne with a 24% swing. Sidoti was re-elected in 2015.
Candidates
- Maurice Saidi (Animal Justice)
- Tom Hore (Labor)
- David Roberts (Keep Sydney Open)
- Charles Jago (Greens)
- John Sidoti (Liberal)
Assessment
Drummoyne has swung dramatically to the Liberal Party since 2007, making it a safe Liberal seat.
2015 result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
| John Sidoti | Liberal | 28,616 | 61.1 | +4.5 |
| Jason Khoury | Labor | 11,103 | 23.7 | -1.1 |
| Alice Mantel | Greens | 5,141 | 11.0 | +1.2 |
| Pat Di Cosmo | No Land Tax | 716 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Isabelle Zafirian | Christian Democrats | 706 | 1.5 | -0.5 |
| Leon Belgrave | Outdoor Recreation | 544 | 1.2 | +1.2 |
| Informal | 1,200 | 2.5 |
2015 two-party-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
| John Sidoti | Liberal | 29,668 | 68.8 | +1.7 |
| Jason Khoury | Labor | 13,468 | 31.2 | -1.7 |
Booth breakdown
Booths in Drummoyne have been split into two halves, based on the two council areas that used to cover the area: Concord to the west of Canada Bay and Drummoyne to the east.
The Liberal Party polled 68.7% of the two-party-preferred vote in Concord, and 69.5% in Drummoyne.
The Greens polled 8.9% in Concord and 12.4% in Drummoyne.
| Voter group | GRN prim % | LIB 2PP % | Total votes | % of votes |
| Drummoyne | 12.4 | 69.5 | 17,191 | 36.7 |
| Concord | 8.9 | 68.7 | 15,879 | 33.9 |
| Other votes | 12.3 | 67.6 | 10,699 | 22.8 |
| Pre-poll | 9.0 | 69.3 | 3,057 | 6.5 |
Election results in Drummoyne at the 2015 NSW state election
Toggle between two-party-preferred votes and Greens primary votes.
Labor could still win this, but, this will be a Liberal seat until Labor win their next 1978-style victory.
The Liberal shift in Drummoyne has been remarkably swift. A swing well above average in 2011, followed (perhaps even more remarkably) by another Liberal swing against the grain in 2015. This was a seat Labor had held since 1962!
So strong has been the Liberal shift that Drummoyne now sits further out of reach than blue ribband seats like Epping and Lane Cove. You wonder if it’s there to stay.
I imagine this seat will have quite a nasty swing towards labor but nowhere near enough for them to take it back
Labor could win this because this is in Reid, Reid is trending Labor and so Craig will also lose his seat
I don’t see how Reid could be said to be trending Labor. (Other than in the narrow sense that the current federal government is on the nose.)
Reid has, as you’d expect, followed a similar trajectory to Drummoyne. Laundy increased his majority against the grain in 2016. It’s certainly a more Liberal friendly seat than Lowe was during the Howard years.
huge demograpic changes this area is trending liberal very quickly………….. Coast, Maher and Murray were excellent Mps……but never the less Canada Bay council is labour controlled with a labor Mayor….. also I am sure Reid has a better vote in this area
Amazing shift for what had been a safe-ish Labor seat it was held in 1988 fairly comfortably. Unfashionable late 19th century housing occupied by post-war migrants and a lower middle-class demographic replaced by redevelopments full of professionals drawn to a waterfront that had once been dominated by industry, view from the train north of Strathfield is so different these days from my childhood memories.
Won’t be won by the ALP again. Just look at the demographics.
”Again” is the wrong word, In future a redistribution or a landslide win for Labor will surely make this seat to them someday again, If they get a 2011 result but instead they get the massive victory then they can win this seat in the next 50 years again
Daniel – with respect, youre the guy who said that Reid is “trending”ALP. I’m afraid you do not understand the massive change in demographics at this end of Sydney.
I just noticed that John Sidoti’s half-page Christmas advertisement in the Italian-language NSW newspaper La Fiamma omits all mention of the fact that he represents the Liberal Party! Instead it bears the seal of the NSW Parliament and states it was paid for ‘using Parliamentary entitlements’. Talk about a poisoned brand! I’m starting to think that Drummoyne might not be out of Labor’s reach after all … particularly in the wake of Wentworth and Victoria.
Let’s be objective. Labor failed to recognise the changing electorates in both Drummoyne and Reid. And let’s face it, the decade long running Labor Canada Bay Council has contributed to their gentrification with all the development in the area. Labor hasn’t even bothered to pre-select a candidate for Drummoyne and we are only three months off an election. More dynamic, multicultural and cosmopolitan candidates are required for both seats for Labor to even come close to winning, instead of the boring nepotism of a Crosby in Reid who was selected virtually unchallenged. Labor dropped the ball…. again.
yes there are big demographic changes ………. but Canada Bay council which has the same boundaries is alp controlled……. so that is what is possible………. Reid is different and Sam Crosby has good change esp if Laundy decides not to recontest……… part of the change was the alp’s choice of Candidates………. Coady, Maher and Murray were respected mps ….. the later were of a much lesser quality
This electorate was once home to a lot of heavy industry along the foreshores of the Parramatta River. It is almost entirely gone, replaced by swanky waterfront apartment and townhouse developments. That said, the shift to the Liberals has been incredibly swift.
This election decides whether the shift is permanent. If Sidoti holds up for another term, then this becomes a seat that Labor will only win in landslides.
Agreed with prior comments. The shift in the electorate has been swift and pretty decisive so far.
Labor have finally preselected someone!
Tom Hore is running for Labor. I think it’s a little too late for them. Sidoti should be easily re-elected.
Hyper inflated margin but, realistically, should be a comfortable Lib hold given the current demographics.
This is my electorate – been here for many years… And in that time witnessed the dramatic demographic shift others have already commented on. There’s no debate, that has cemented the seat for the Libs, and even if there is a swing away from the Government, Sidoti will be returned comfortably. He may even increase his margin.
The gentrification here is just as pronounced as it is in the eastern half of the inner west, but has produced very different electoral results from that experienced in Balmain and Newtown. Immigration here is from East Asia and to a lesser extent the sub-continent – is more aspirational-based and not at all conducive to the Greens. Their dwindling support base is mostly concentrated in the more affluent and Anglo sections of the electorate – amongst the ageing baby boomers of Drummoyne.
Once upon a time at Council, State and Fed polls, a month out my suburb would have been carpeted with Labor corflutes – mostly featuring the ALP Mayor Angelo Tsirekas who seemed to have an endless supply… He’s now given up trying to get to Canberra or Macquarie St, and appears to have resigned himself to running Canada Bay Council (seemingly forever). The posters I’ve spotted around Drummoyne and Five Dock are all Sidoti’s – and the only teams out on Saturday mornings are his too. The only flyers I’ve had in my letterbox have been Libs too.
Interestingly, all 3 candidates claim to be “anti-overdevelopment” – even though this isn’t the white hot issue it is elsewhere (Ryde for example). Tom Hore was quoted in the Inner West Courier as stating that was his no. 1 concern, the Greens are (by default) against any development, and even Sidoti claims to be … when he can blame Tsirekas’ Council, that is. He has a harder job where his own government is building and approving the 32-storey towers of East Rhodes, but somehow he still manages to…
Voted today, an easy choice after chatting to the very genial Labor candidate Tom Hore… He assured me he is not “anti-development” (he’s an architect, how could he be?) but in fact pro density – “provided its done well” and infrastructure is provided. Dead right too… Hopefully his party never returns to its disgraceful Carr-style “Sydney is full” ineptitude – when they left the city an infrastructure basket case.
Greens HTV give him 2 spot, but there’s no return favour (worthless anyway, Greens will poll less than 10% here). Labor’s is 1 only. As is AJP’s
I will be away at the weekend so need to vote early.
Where are the early polling booths in the seat of Drummoyne?
Sandra – they are here:
https://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/Elections/Where-do-I-vote
But buried a bit – you have to click through a few hoops to find them… There’s one at Rhodes (The Rhodes Connection, 30 Shoreline Drive, Rhodes NSW 2138) and one on Victoria Road, Drummoyne near the corner of Edwin St (Drummoyne Election Manager’s Office, Shops 2,3 & 4, 150 – 158 Victoria Road, Drummoyne NSW 2047).
I used the Drummoyne one but now regret voting early. How could I have possibly helped Mr “I meant no offence” Daley (today’s SMH from page) become premier! Damn, if only I could take it back…
Liberal hold – the swing to the Liberals has been over 25% over the past two elections, and 2019 will be a test as to how solid Drummoyne has become for the Liberals.
I was right – this will now be Liberal until the next 1978 or 1999-style Labor landslide.