Western Sydney was shaping up as a danger region for the Labor party at Saturday’s federal election, but the damage was nowhere near as bad as expected.
Assistant treasurer David Bradbury was the most senior Labor MP to lose his seat, when Lindsay fell to the Liberal party’s Fiona Scott.
Another western Sydney seat, Reid held by John Murphy is in doubt, but otherwise Labor survived the big scare in western Sydney.
There had been serious fears that outgoing treasurer Chris Bowen would lose, but he too hung on, despite Labor losing the election overall.
“I’m proud most of all that the people of McMahon have given us a big endorsement,” he told the Nine Network.
Mr Bowen said he had no regrets about attempting to link his Liberal opponent, former policeman Ray King, to notorious former policeman Roger Rogerson, regarded by many as a smear campaign.
“There were things said about me, there were things said about my opponent,” he told the Nine Network.
“When you’re putting yourself forward for public office you’ve got to front up and explain yourself.”
Daryl Melham lost Banks, while Labor formally lost the seat of Dobell held by Craig Thomson who was forced to quit the party while facing charges of misusing union funds. Karen McNamara is the new Liberal MP.
The other Central Coast seat of Robertson, held by Deb O’Neill, fell to Liberal candidate Lucy Wicks.
Mike Kelly’s seat of Eden-Monaro is still undecided.
Meanwhile, the Nationals regained ground in northern NSW.
They’ve stolen Page back from Labor with cattle farmer and small business owner Kevin Hogan defeating incumbent Janelle Safin.
But the twin prizes of New England and Lyne is what mattered most to the Nationals. The seats had been held by former Nationals turned independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, whose support gave Julia Gillard a minority government.
Barnaby Joyce quit his Queensland Senate seat to contest New England.
“You don’t know how relieved I am,” he said.
“I had three kids at school. I resigned from a job and I didn’t really have another job to go to. This was a big risk, but you do it because it’s right.”
The Nationals also gave ALP heavyweight Joel Fitzgibbon a real scare in Hunter, slashing his 12.5 per cent margin.
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