Candidates announced for state election

The candidates have been finalised for the NSW Election on March 25, with three of the four electorates in our region having their ballot papers cluttered by non-locals just being a name on a ballot for smaller parties.

The higher than usual blow-in candidates for the normally very safe National held seats of Tamworth and Northern Tablelands may be in part due to the significant redistribution. Walcha council area has been shifted from Tamworth into the Northern Tablelands, while the Liverpool Plains has been shifted from Upper Hunter to Tamworth. Lismore has also picked up a little strip from Ballina including the town of Federal.

We’ve included the full list of candidates below. Where the candidate has a Facebook page or website, we’ve linked to it – just click on their name.

Northern Tablelands

10 candidates have nominated for Northern Tablelands. The hard working Adam Marshall is looking pretty safe, and certainly won’t be troubled by a Sustainable Australia Party candidate who lives Kilaben Bay on the Central Coast or the Legalise Cannabis candidate from Murwillumbah, both of whom likely won’t get their deposit back. Labor’s Yvonne Langenberg and the Green’s Elizabeth O’Hara have both run before in previous elections of various kinds, as has the Independent Natasha Ledger.

Tamworth

Tamworth will likely be the most interesting contest, as the inclusion of the politically active and energised Liverpool Plains will shake up the seat quite a bit. Interestingly though, none of the local candidates are from the hotbed areas opposed to CSG mining – they’re all Tamworth except for Kate McGrath at Gunnedah. And, despite Climate 200 sticking its nose in and running videos featuring Liverpool Plains farmers urging people to vote independent, there isn’t a teal independent on the ballot. Eight candidates in total for Tamworth, including the Sustainable Australia Party candidate who lives Cardiff on the Central Coast, a Legalise Cannabis candidate from Cammeray in North Sydney, and a SFF candidate that is registered to vote in the Northern Tablelands. (Also a little tip, the ‘Informed Medical Options Party’ are anti-vaxxers, not a general health policy party of some kind.) With both McGrath and Rodda campaigning well, unless there is a significant momentum shift Anderson may be reliant on a good preference flow to retain the seat.

Lismore

Lismore is a bit of an odd seat, stretching along the border to include Tenterfield. Those kinds of long thin strip electorates tend to have a bit of an internal battle which is evident in the composition of candidates, with three nominees from the small New England village. Sheer weight of population and the distress of flood recovery at Lismore is likely to drown out the significant isolation, transport, health and local council failures that are on the minds of voters in Tenterfield, and see Labor’s Janelle Saffin returned. Eight candidates on the ballot. Give the fringe parties a round of applause, they actually managed to find candidates within the electorate for Lismore – but no legalise cannabis candidate for them.

Barwon

Barwon to our west is the largest electorate in the state stretching all the way to the NT border. Currently held by Roy Butler, who recently quit the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party after a failed leadership challenge and is now an independent, there’s a half decent chance the Nationals could reclaim the seat with Annette Turner as their candidate. Stuart Howe might pick up a few votes, having campaigned for Parkes in the last federal, but unlikely to be make a dint. It is, however, an extraordinarily difficult seat to campaign in (and service while in office), so we shall just have to wait for election night to see what happens. Neither Roy nor Annette will be troubled by the rest of the eight on the ballot, including the SFF serial candidate Paul Britton who lives in Sydney and ran for Farrer in the last Federal Election, the Public Education Party candidate also from Sydney, the Greens candidate from Armidale, or the Legalise Cannabis candidate from Nimbin.

The New England Times will be emailing all of the candidates with a standard set of questions to give them all the equal opportunity to be heard. If you know of a story related to the election, or you are one of these candidates and want to make sure we have your details, email newsdesk@netimes.com.au.

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