New South Wales Labor leader Kristina Keneally is doing everything she can to reduce the losses her party will experience at the March 26 state elections, but the polls are indicating an historic rout as Labor’s heartland turns its back on her unpopular Government.
Ms. Keneally was joined by Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the launch of NSW Labor's official election campaign in Sydney’s south-west on Sunday March 20. The premier announced that she would extend the “Fairness for Families” bus tour, which began two weeks ago, to include the Hunter and Illawarra regions, seen as a further endeavour to shore up votes.
“I’m getting back on that Fairness for Families bus and I’m going to stay on it until the close of polls on the 26th of March,” she told reporters.
A Herald/Nielsen poll taken February 11-13 indicated that the March 26 state elections would see a dramatic end to Labor’s 16 years in power.
With 66 per cent of those polled preferring the Coalition to Labor’s 34 per cent on a 2-party preferred vote, some pundits are predicting Labor may end up with around 25 of the 93 seats, with others suggesting it could go as low as 15.
While there is no doubt Ms. Keneally has given the election campaign her best shot, the poll indicated there is a lot of ground to make up, with her popularity at 36 per cent as preferred leader compared to Opposition Leader Barry O’ Farrell’s at 55 per cent.
The difficulty lies in the legacy Ms. Keneally carries—Labor’s heartland is lost. Residents in migrant areas of Sydney, traditionally Labor stalwarts, for example, say they are fed up.
Migrant Vote
Dai Le, standing for the Liberals in the largely Vietnamese community and Labor heartland of Cabramatta, sums it up.
“They treat this area with contempt,” she said of the way Labor has behaved, “so much contempt. It angers me in the sense that people are taking advantage of them [the people in her electorate],” she told The Epoch Times.
Ms. Le came to Australia as a refugee following the Vietnam War. In 2008, she was asked to stand by locals in the by-election, following the resignation of former state health minister Reba Meagher, and achieved the unthinkable by gaining a swing of around 22 per cent. She needed 29 per cent to win and is confident she can do it this time.
“These people have been so loyal to them [Labor] for 16 years. They have voted for them over, over and over, and yet they see nothing,” she said, listing public transport, education and high cost of living as her three main campaign areas.
“The cost of living is huge here. Secondly, public transport, we need regular increased train services, public bus so that people have access to travel to get jobs, or to go to jobs, or to travel to schools, or go to find a job and all of that accessibility. We need to provide that.
“Thirdly, our education system; lots of people living out here value education, especially people with Asian background. This is what we came here for, to get the education,” Ms. Le said.
Greens
“We don’t accept donations from the big corporations, which have tended to have excessive control over the policies of both the Labor Party and the Liberal National Party,” says David Shoebridge, spokesperson for the NSW Greens, addressing widespread concerns about Labor’s close association with developers in NSW.
The Greens have also taken a stand against mining interests in the agricultural sector, particularly in the rich farmlands of the Liverpool Plains now under siege from a voracious coal industry. “We are proud of the fact we take a long-term view of policy making and economic decisions here in NSW,” Mr. Shoebridge told The Epoch Times.
While the Greens are fielding candidates across the state, with support for his party at around 13 per cent in the Herald/Nielson poll, Mr Shoebridge says there isn’t much statewide contest over who will win Saturday’s election.
“It is almost certain it will be a coalition dominated lower house and a coalition government,” he said.
His concern, however, lies in the NSW Upper House, the 42 member Senate, one half of which is up for election every four years.
David Shoebridge, who is also up for election, says that if the Coalition dominates that too, it would give an inexperienced government free rein.
“The only way of stopping that is to get enough Greens elected to have a check and balance in the Upper House,” he said.
