Bankstown

Margin: Labor 10.6%
Region: South-Western Sydney
Federal: Blaxland (98%)/Watson (2%)

Candidates in ballot paper order

	GEORGE ZAKHIA Liberal (bottom) JULIAT NASR Christian Democratic Party OSCAR GRENFELL Independent JEREMY LAWRANCE No Land Tax LUKE POLISZCUK Greens TANIA MIHAILUK Labor (top)

Bankstown is centred around 15 kilometres west of central Sydney, and gives its name to a safe Labor electorate that has been dramatically redrawn by the latest redistribution. Where Bankstown itself formerly sat in the centre of the electorate, it is now in its south-eastern corner, from which it extends through Yagoona to Georges Hall, Villawood, Chester Hill, Sefton and Birrong. Villawood and most of Chester Hill were formerly in Fairfield, from which the electorate gains 11,400 voters, while the 7000 voters of Sefton and Birrong have been gained from Auburn. In the east, Greenacre and Punchbowl north of Punchbowl Road are transferred to Lakemba, accounting for 17,000 voters. The changes have little impact on a Labor margin that was cleaved from 25.5% to 10.3% at the 2011 election.

Labor has held Bankstown without interruption since its creation in 1927, the inaugural member being James McGirr, who was Premier from 1947 to 1952. Current member Tania Mihailuk came to the seat in 2011 upon the retirement of Tony Stewart, who entered parliament as member for Lakemba in 1995 before moving to Bankstown in 1999. Stewart was aligned with the “Troglodytes” sub-faction of the Right in opposition to the “Terrigals”, associated with Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi, who fought a series of turf wars when parliamentary numbers were cut from 99 to 93 ahead of the 1999 election. Their eventual resolution involved Bankstown being made available to Stewart by the retirement of Doug Shedden, and Morris Iemma moving to Lakemba from his abolished seat of Hurstville. Stewart was described by the Sydney Morning Herald as “a no-nonsense anti-gang and anti-drugs crusader and vocal supporter of zero-tolerance policing policies”, which appeared to explain arson attacks on his campaign office in 1999 and the firing of shots into a house in Lakemba, which police believed were intended for one of his supporters.

Tania Mihailuk had been the mayor of Bankstown before her entry to parliament in 2011, and was promoted to shadow cabinet following the resignation of Kogarah MP Cherie Burton, taking on the fair trading, healthy lifestyles and volunteering and youth portfolios.

Corrections, complaints and feedback to William Bowe at pollbludger-at-bigpond-dot-com. Read William’s blog, The Poll Bludger.

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