Geraldton

Margin: Liberal 10.9% versus Nationals
Region: Agricultural
Federal: Durack

RESULTS AT 2013 ELECTION
HISTORICAL TWO-PARTY RESULTS
PREVIOUS ELECTION RESULTS MAP

Candidates in ballot paper order

PAUL CONNOLLY Greens PAUL BROWN Nationals (centre) DAVID CAUDWELL Shooters Fishers and Farmers IAN BLAYNEY Liberal (top) LARA DALTON Labor (bottom) WAYNE MARTIN One Nation GREG HALL Australian Christians VICTOR TANTI Independent

Located 420 kilometres north of Perth, Geraldton is Western Australia’s second largest regional city, and has formed the basis of an electorate since self-government was established in 1890. It has been held for the Liberals since 2008 by Ian Blayney, who now faces a determined challenge from Nationals candidate Paul Brown, an upper house member for Agricultural region.

Geraldton was held by Labor for all but one term from 1914 until 1991, and again during the Gallop-Carpenter years from 2001 to 2008. The 1991 defeat came at a by-election caused by the resignation of Jeff Carr, who had reacted unhappily to being dropped from Carmen Lawrence's cabinet. This was followed by a collapse in Labor's primary vote from 47.6% to 16.6%, and the election of Liberal member Bob Bloffwitch.

Labor next won the seat in 2001, partly on account of the 21.0% vote for One Nation and the party's then policy of directing preferences against all sitting members, and partly due to the local origins of Labor leader Geoff Gallop. It was held through this period by Shane Hill, whose position was undermined when the one-vote one-value redistribution in 2008 caused the electorate to absorb rural from the abolished Nationals-held seat of Greenough. This left Hill needing a 3.5% swing to retain his seat, but in the event the swing went 5.0% the other way (Hill is running at the current election as Labor's candidate for North West Central). Labor's primary vote slumped from 29.1% to 17.1% in 2013, causing them to finish third behind the Nationals.

Ian Blayney is the owner of a farming property 40 kilometres east of Geraldton, and has remained on the back bench throughout his parliamentary career. Paul Brown was elected to the Nationals' second seat in the Agricultural region in 2013, having previously been a self-described “veteran of the live export industry”. Labor's candidate is Lara Dalton, a lecturer in hospitality at the Durack Institute of Technology. One Nation initially endorsed Muchea-based surveyor Stephen Piper, but he was disendorsed after local party leader Colin Tincknell claimed he had been sending intimidating messages to another party candidate, which Piper denied.