New South Wales election 2015

Keira

Margin: Labor 7.4%
Region: Illawarra Region
Federal: Cunningham

Candidates in ballot paper order

keira-alp

keira-lib

JOSEPH CAROLAN
Christian Democratic Party

PHILIP CLIFFORD
Liberal (bottom)

JASON LETO
No Land Tax

RYAN PARK
Labor (top)

ELENA MARTINEZ
Greens

2011 BOOTH RESULTS MAP

PAST RESULTS

DEMOGRAPHICS

Two-party preferred booth results from 2011 state election showing Labor majority in red and Liberal in blue. New boundaries in thicker blue lines, old ones in thinner red lines. Boundary data courtesy of Ben Raue of The Tally Room.

Keira was among the 20 seats retained by Labor at the 2011 election, at which an 18.2% swing left intact a margin of 3.8%. The electorate covers a short stretch of the Illawarra coast from East Corrimal north to Coledale, and extends south along the interior edge of the Illawarra’s residential areas to encompass Balgownie and Figtree, together with undeveloped territory further inland. The redistribution has extended its coastal frontage northward to encompass Bulli, Thirroul, Austinmer and Coledale, adding over 10,000 voters formerly in Heathcote. Changes to the southern boundary transfer over 5000 voters at the southern end Figtree to Wollongong. The combined effect of the changes is to cut 0.9% from the Labor margin.

Labor has held Keira and its predecessor seat of Corrimal since the creation of the latter in 1968, the name change having occurred in 1988. Keira’s three members have been Col Markham from 1988 to 1999, David Campbell from 1999 to 2011, and Ryan Park thereafter. Campbell had earlier been Wollongong’s lord mayor and served on the front bench from 2003 until his resignation in 2010, after Seven News set new standards in Australian journalism by broadcasting footage of him leaving a gay sex club. With his retirement at the 2011 election, Labor’s preselection was won without opposition by Ryan Park, deputy chief of the NSW Transport Department.

Park was elevated to shadow cabinet in October 2012 in the roads portfolio, part of a reshuffle that contentiously elevated four members of the Right to the front bench. He won further promotion in December 2013 when he exchanged roads for education and training.

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

Back to Crikey’s New South Wales election guide

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