Lake Macquarie

Margin: Independent 14.9% versus Liberal
Region: Hunter Region
Federal: Charlton

Candidates in ballot paper order

	IVAN MACFADYEN Greens GREG PIPER Independent (top) DANIEL COLLARD Liberal (centre) MELISSA CLEARY Labor (bottom) KIM GRITTEN Christian Democratic Party ANDREW CORONEO No Land Tax SUSAN STRAIN Animal Justice Party

The Hunter region seat of Lake Macquarie was one of three retained by sitting independents at the 2011 election, while another three – Port Macquarie, Tamworth and Dubbo – were swept up in the Coalition landslide. It occupies the western shore of the body of water that gives it its name, including Macquarie Hills and Speers Point 15 kilometres from central Newcastle at its northern end, along with the urbanised areas along the shore including Toronto in the centre and Wyee in the south. The redistribution has added territory at the Newcastle end, accounting for around 2750 voters from Charlestown and another 1000 from Wallsend, while state forest and semi-rural areas around Jilliby in the south have been transferred to Wyong, accounting for 3250 voters.

Lake Macquarie was in Labor hands from its creation in 1950 until 2007, having been held from 1969 by Merv Hunter and then from 1991 by his son, Jeff Hunter. The latter was unseated in 2007 by local mayor and independent candidate Greg Piper, who comfortably outpolled the Liberals and ended up 106 votes clear of Hunter after preferences. Piper’s primary vote increased from 30.3% to 43.7% at the 2011 election as Labor collapsed into third place, with Piper winning over the Liberal at the final count by a margin of 14.9%. Labor’s candidate is Melissa Cleary, an electorate officer to federal Charlton MP Pat Conroy. The Liberal candidate is Jason Pauling, a Lake Macquarie councillor.

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

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