Famously held by Gough Whitlam throughout a parliamentary career lasting from 1952 to 1978, the south-western Sydney seat of Werriwa has been in Labor hands since 1931. However, it is now considered endangered for the first time in living memory after the margin was cut from 15.1% to 6.8% in 2010, followed by the devastating example of the state election the following March. The electorate in its current form covers suburbs clustered around the South Western Freeway and the Campbelltown rail line, from Macquarie Fields south to Ingleburn and Minto and north to Hoxton Park and Liverpool South, together with Liberal-voting semi-rural territory further to the west. The seat has been fundamentally altered a number of times since its creation at federation, at which time it covered Goulburn 200 kilometres to the south-west of Sydney. It was shifted eastwards to the Illawarra in 1934, when it commenced its life as a safe Labor seat, then moved northwards as far as the Sutherland Shire in 1949, and finally adopted its south-western Sydney orientation in 1955, when it covered Cabramatta and Liverpool. In remaining at Sydney’s outer edge since, it has tended to be pushed further south-westerwards over subsequent redistributions.
Labor’s Hubert Lazzarini followed his shifting electorate from 1919 until his death in 1952, except for a term after the 1931 election when it fell to the Country Party. Lazzarini was succeeded by Gough Whitlam, whose tale does not need reiterating here. John Kerin became member in 1978 when Whitlam quit in the wake of the 1977 election disaster, going on to serve a forgettable stint as Treasurer after the failure of Paul Keating’s first leadership challenge in June 1991. Kerin was followed in 1994 by the seat’s second Labor leader, Mark Latham. Although Labor’s hold on the seat was never endangered, Latham went through a wild ride in his time here in more ways than one: the seat swung 9.3% to the Liberals in 1996, 6.5% to Labor in 1998, and 4.8% to the Liberals in 2001. Latham was also disrupted when his strongest party branches were removed from the electorate in the redistribution before the 2001 election. His factional enemies, who were apparently not in short supply, argued he should instead be made to try his luck in marginal Macarthur.
Latham quit politics in January 2005 and was succeeded at a by-election by Chris Hayes, an official of the Right faction Australian Workers Union, who easily retained the seat in the absence of a Liberal candidate. Another round of Labor upheaval followed when the redistribution before the 2010 election effectively abolished the safe Labor inner Sydney seat of Reid (which survived in name but was effectively merged with neighbouring Lowe). Labor’s member for Reid was Laurie Ferguson, brother of Martin Ferguson, with whom he formed the base of a Left sub-faction that had counted Julia Gillard among its number. Ferguson was at first determined to be accommodated in Fowler, to be vacated at the election by Julia Irwin, but a deal was in force reserving the seat for the locally dominant Right. He instead settled for Werriwa under a deal Gillard was able to reach against opposition of Anthony Albanese and the Left, in which Hayes would take Fowler instead. That in turn froze out Ed Husic, national president of the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union, for whom Fowler had been earmarked, but he was accommodated in Chifley following Roger Price’s decision to retire.
The Liberal candidate for the coming election is Kent Johns, the Liberal mayor of Sutherland Shire, who was once a Labor mayor of Rockdale before becoming an independent. Johns reportedly won preselection with backing from factional moderate Scott Morrison. This has generated grumblings from locals aligned with the Right, who complain of having an outsider foisted upon them. Chief among the aggrieved is thwarted preselection hopeful Mark Koosache, a local school librarian and former soldier who has campaigned against cuts to entitlements for defence personnel, who says he is contemplating running as an independent and directing preferences to Labor. There has also been talk that Ferguson might bow out at the election, but he has told the local media his nomination forms have been submitted and he is set on serving another term.
Yup all shots will have been fired by next week
”I am quite surprised, I am astonished and angry,” Arthur Sinodinos said. ”And you can quote me on that.”
Senator Sinodinos, shadow parliamentary secretary to the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, and former NSW Liberal Party director, was chairman of Australian Water Holdings when the Obeids signed a trust deed securing their interest in the water company.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/sinodinos-astonished-20130202-2dqr1.html#ixzz2Jowp26EL
‘Mr Pyne seems to think that a government which has seen it’s entire legislative agenda through the parliament is dysfunctional. Perhaps Mr Pyne shouldn’t let his disappointment get the better of him’
Absolute killer line. At last
of course no one from the actual Labor party said;
‘Mr Pyne seems to think that a government which has seen it’s entire legislative agenda through the parliament is dysfunctional. Perhaps Mr Pyne shouldn’t let his disappointment get the better of him’
I made it up.
But would you just love it if someone with some fucking idea about how to take fuckers like Pyne down would just fucking show some fucking balls and do it for fuck sake.
lizzie:
Thanks for the link to Andrew Elder.
Prescient as usual, and I’m detecting increasing levels of frustration at our incompetent media with each post he writes.
And it isn’t just him. What we’re seeing from the press gallery is beyond a joke.
I don’t see it will be a bad poll for the government.
Media always over-estimate.
What constitutes a bad poll,is the Dec poll or the Jan poll (of the poll that must be obeyed) that is the baseline?
It’s too early to be concerned with the polls.
And Pyne’s unhinging should certainly not be responded to by the govt in any way other than they have. Just as Pyne insulted many Australian mothers by shooting himself in the foot yesterday, so too does today’s display reflect poorly on nobody but him.
Here’s a huge hat tip to Gecko at 808. One of the finest posts ever on PB.
David M
There have been a couple of famous paternity DNA cases.
One was a perfect family who were used on billboards for advertising. All the kids were identical looking, about four of them. Somehow the marriage went sour and one kid hated her dad and said she wanted out. The dad said they were obviously all his kids as they all looked so similar.
There was a paternity test and all four kids had the same father but it wasn’t the husband.
Another guy was a prominent Afroamerican leader and wanted to know where in Africa he descended from. It turned out he was Asian, Indian and Caucasian with no African ancestry.
The major difference between Liberal and Labor seems to be that Labor has a lesbian in cabinet and the Liberals won’t give a closet queer a place in their election brochure
Did the ABC News compare the government to the film The Downfall?
If so we had all better ring and complain to the switchboard
[871
Marrickville Mauler
Posted Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 6:06 pm | PERMALINK
Shellbell # 867 – Justins a very clever boy, for the trainspotters among us he topped my NSW HSC year in 1978]
A St Pats old boy.
Son of the Cardinal, Gerry Gleeson, I think.
billie:
There are some queer and peculiar things about Pyne, but I don’t think his sexuality is one of them.
And nor is his behaviour anything to do with his sexuality. I believe, as someone posited earlier, that Team Abbott are sending others out to be so called attack dogs instead of Abbott.
Why is Pyne in the media so much at the moment? This is three days in a row he has been the main oppo spruiker.
[Why is Pyne in the media so much at the moment? This is three days in a row he has been the main oppo spruiker.]
He is suffering from verbal diarrhea. It takes a while to get over it.
[Roly O’Barrell @followstherolls
@margokingston1 Q for Pyne: You’ve stated that on March 19 you drank with James Ashby and had “political discussion”; What was discussed?]
There are some beauties coming in. Why can’t journalists ask these questions?
[Here’s a huge hat tip to Gecko at 808. One of the finest posts ever on PB.]
I agree. Great post.
Many in the public, like all scam victims, think that Abbott wants to this or that if he makes it to the Lodge.
One – some kind of tradie in a fluoro jacket – on ABC TV tonight said, “Well, if it doesn’t work out we can always get rid of him. I mean, he won’t be there forever, will he?”
Poor bastard. He doesn’t get it.
The aim of the Coalition Con is not to do anything when in government. It’s to get into government. That, and that alone.
Nigerian scammers make their money by getting their victims to think that a little bit of money down will reap a huge reward later on.
But in a con job, there is no later on. The aim is to get the up-front deposit and to run with it.
In Abbott’s case, the aim is to get mugs that that man on the ABC News to think that it can’t hurt to try Abbott out, to trivialize and de-value their vote into a sort-of “rehearsal” ballot, a Reality TV “Press Red Button” affair. A quick run through and if he’s no good, then we’ll give him the flick.
The entire Coalition strategy is based on this… fooling the public into thinking they have an agenda, a big picture, when all they have is a thumbnail: get into office, whatever it takes. And stay there.
They’re after the mug’s deposit money, the chump change, not the main prize, because there is no main prize, except (for them) getting into office.
For the public, there’s nothing except a disconnected phone line at the other end, or a bounced email address, when they phone or write to find out what happened to the goodies that were supposed to be coming their way.
Abbott wants to lull the public into thinking that voting for him has no consequences, like the idiot on TV tonight seems to think.
They won’t know what hit them.
Dio:
He’s been told how to handle Ashby questions, and knows he’ll never be pressed on Ashby. It’s therefore safe for him to go public now.
@Dio/915
Probably covering for the lack of ability of the media to look into Tony’s poor press club speech.
Oh, and the media are attracted to bullshit artists. Pyne and the media are perfect friends.
Pyne is on QANDA as well tomorrow.
That is altogether too much of a bad thing.
@janecat60
@margokingston1 Pyne You have repeatedly said this is a contest about trust so why don’t you & Mr Abbott front the media & answer ? on Ashby
Didn’t Nicola Roxon absolutely trash Rudd earlier last year – threatened to leave – now she leaves regardless? presumably she knows her mind, although one always wonders about an AG who can’t find any jurisprudential regret for June 2010. It’s funny how Rudd is out of bag again on the site. is it all worth it? is australian politics worth the long haul? julia gillard shoring up her support in nsw right while corruption commission guts some right wing branch? no dots to join from obeid to 2010 to today? now rudd is photograph naked having sex with a NY hooker. i’m beginning to get confused. faced with big seat losses in nsw and queensland rudd will be reappointed and will crush the liberals (or maybe just win) – it there clarity or endless fog?
can someone explain why these ministers resigned immediately after an historically early election announcement? why didn’t they serve their time as ministers? why go to the back bench for many months? why not announce their resignation later in year? did they mean to make things difficult for JG if they are so loyal? i do not understand
more questions: did JG survey for possible resignations before announcing? why would or should be surprised? did she know before making it or like they just surprise her and damage party … were they required to announce resignations now? there will be no more now?
[Peter van Onselen @vanOnselenP
I can’t believe Dreyfus’s chutzpah to condemn Pyne’s Downfall comments given his Goebbles comments in 2011…and he says “that’s different”.]
Because it was. HOnestly, why does OM have to ALWAYS drag everything down to ‘he-said-she-said’ trivia?!
geoffrey,
Endless fog inside a paperbag covering your head while trussed upside down in a deep mine shaft is where you seem to be.
CTar1
Yes – Gavan Griffith was from Victoria . Only non-NSW solicitor general in last 50 years.
Dreyfus is a hypocrite, simple as that.
geoffrey – Drivel.
It’s been clearly stated.
Geoffrey
I gather there will be more resignations including one in the next week but there won’t be any from the front bench.
Presumably a few backbenchers will move on which is hardly surprising.
shellbell
[Only non-NSW solicitor general in last 50 years.]
He was a turkey and then some.
[It is the email that Christopher Pyne can’t remember sending.
The National Times has obtained a hard copy of an email from the Liberal frontbencher asking for the contact details of the staffer at the centre of sexual harassment allegations against Speaker Peter Slipper.]
Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/political-news/pyne-email-surfaces-as-coverup-claims-persist-20120503-1y1df.html#ixzz2JpAwtr7x
I have forgotten the myriad details which have occurred in AshbyGate since May last year, but did Grattan ever do anything further with the Pyne email other than just write about it one day for her paper?
It would be interesting to know what kind of follow-up she’s attempted with Pyne given the many contradictions on his part.
NewsPoll Prediction – noting its been a shocking week for Labor, 58/42 Libs.
Seriously, the Pyne stuff is rubbish.
I for one have enjoyed many of the Hitler downfall parodies that have entertained me. To criticise Pyne for a simple reference to a popular humour tool reeks of nothing but a lack of a sense of humour.
Pyne should be criticised for a lack of substance rather than his taste in humourous repartee.
Mari R @randlight
Lets see Pyne upset working mums yesterday re N Roxon jibe, today the Jewish people re comparing Govt to Hitler regime.Tomorrow who is next?
Details
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Colm OD
@Colm_OD
@randlight ….Gay Whales ???? pic.twitter.com/viPji06l
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Loved this reply to my tweet, even a nice little picture of a whale, protesting not sure if it will open when I post
Is Justin Gleeson any relation to former Chief Justice Murray Gleeson?
greensborough tar
ha ha ha. the endless fog has been this site for many many months. the lightning is the nsw corruption hearings. maybe you live at cygnet tas?
diogenes
thank you. maybe it’s been said here – but why resignation now? wouldn’t the PM foreshadow and plan for these? why months on the backbenches?
feeney – I think shellbell is suggesting so.
geoffrey,
Maybe I live in Greensborough.
I know it’s a difficult clue for your types to decipher.
Galaxy prediction – 54-46.
Newspoll predicition 53-47.
GG
Agree. He was referring to the famous clip rater than comparing Labor to actual Nazi policy or practice. Personally I think Goebbelian is dodgier.
Take a chill pill conservatives.
People are retiring from Federal politics – not resigning.
Feeney No relation
CTar1
The High Court used to have Xmas dinner all year around when Griffith was SG
Rosemour The Despised One @ 904
Good post. My view of things, too.
Also, if possible, they should avoid using Abbott’s fucking name.
Diogs,
Playing who is more Nazi is a debate that should be avoided.
Geoffrey
My sources are silent on those matters. An ugly divorce has seriously curtailed my intelligence network which is pretty threadbare now.
I don’t think there is a good time for frontbenchers to resign.
This looks like over-reaching on the union’s part:
[A mining company has defended its involvement with a high school on the New South Wales Central Coast, amid concerns it is trying to influence the curriculum.
NuCoal has agreed to provide unspecified resources, such as work experience and career advice, at Narara Valley High School.
The teachers’ union is worried the independence of the curriculum might be compromised, but NuCoal’s Marie Roberts says those fears are unfounded ]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-03/mining-compay-defends-involvement-with-school/4498146
Most likely the mining company is looking to build links with the school with a view to its future workforce, which is surely a good thing.
GG
Fortunately we are so far from Nazi Germany that we should be eternally grateful for our lot.