Goward Edges Closer to NSW Parliament (1 Viewer)

[ur_inner_child]

Goward Edges Closer to NSW Parliament

Up to five seats remain undecided after the weekend's NSW election.

As counting continued, NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam said he was confident high-profile Liberal candidate Pru Goward had won the southern NSW seat of Goulburn.

Ms Goward is currently 322 votes ahead of independent candidate Paul Stephenson, with about 4,800 absentee and postal votes yet to be counted.

Mr Debnam was less optimistic about the seats of Port Stephens, south of Newcastle, and the southern Sydney seat of Miranda, where Liberal and Labor remain in tight contests.

Labor's Jim Arneman sits 86 votes ahead of Liberal candidate Craig Baumann in Port Stephens, with about 1,300 votes left to count.

In Miranda, incumbent Labor MP Barry Collier remains 409 votes ahead of Liberal rival Graham Annesley, with about 5,000 votes left to be counted.

"In the case of Goulburn, we're very confident that we're going to see a good result," Mr Debnam told reporters.

"In the case of Port Stephens and Miranda, I am hopeful that both of those are going to get across the line as well."

Results for all three seats are expected in the next few days.

Elsewhere, independent candidate for Lake Macquarie, on the central coast, Greg Piper, is in front of the Labor MP Jeff Hunter by 263 votes with about 2,500 left to be counted.

In the central western seat of Dubbo, sitting independent Dawn Fardell is 603 votes ahead of the National's Greg Matthews, with about 1,500 votes yet to be counted.

NSW Electoral Commission spokesman Graham Krempin said while the political parties and candidates want a result as quickly as possible, the counting had to be done properly.

Counting in the seat of Newcastle - where Labor has already declared victory for its candidate, former newsreader Jodi McKay, over independents John Tate and Bryce Gaudry - will resume on Monday, with Electoral Commissioner Colin Barry describing it as tight.

 

[Rafy]

Goward has won Goulburn. She now leads by 975 votes.
Independent concedes Goulburn to Goward

Elsewhere, the Liberals are 56 votes in front of Labor in Port Stephens.
In Lake Macquarie, the Independent now leads Labor by 272 votes.

 

[frog12986]

Fantastic, some talent for state politics. Although a long time away, a talented shadow ministry for 2011 would include:

Leader - Barry O'Farrell
Treasurer - Mike Baird
Attorney-General - Greg Smith
Education - Pru Goward
Transport - Jillian Skinner
Police - Mike Gallacher
and so on..

It would certainly give the ALP a run for it's money IF it formulates clear and simple policy.

 

[Iron]

Na, Goward should let some shmuck do all the hard work before 2011, then successfully challenge shortly before, so as to exploit the honeymoon.
I think she has buckets more appeal than any state lib.
She's also a bit hot.

 

[withoutaface]

Fantastic, some talent for state politics. Although a long time away, a talented shadow ministry for 2011 would include:

Leader - Barry O'Farrell
Treasurer - Mike Baird
Attorney-General - Greg Smith
Education - Pru Goward
Transport - Jillian Skinner
Police - Mike Gallacher
and so on..

It would certainly give the ALP a run for it's money IF it formulates clear and simple policy.

Needs moar Robbo.

 

[Rafy]

Libs have won Port Stephens by 21 votes.

However there will be a recount.

 

[withoutaface]

Libs have won Port Stephens by 21 votes.

Hooray, I finally acheived something meaningful.

 

[Rafy]

The Port Stephens result was confirmed in yesterday's recount.
Labor has lost Lake Macquarie to an independent.
The Coalition leds the Democrats for the last Legislative Council seat. Arthur Chesterfield-Evans has conceeded defeat. The Democrats are now extinct in NSW.

Final result looks to be:

Legislative Assembly: Labor 52, Coalition 35, Independent 6
Legislative Council: Labor 9, Coalition 8, Greens 2, Christian Democrats 1, Shooter's Party 1. (ALP 19, Coalition 15, GRN 4, CDP 2, SP 2)

Final 2PP result is roughly 52/48

New pendulum:
http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/states/nsw/nsw20073.txt