The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party has named mineworker James White to contest the key seat of Upper Hunter at next month's state election on March 25.
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Mr White's electoral performance, like that of Greens candidate Tony Lonergan (see page 3), will be crucial in a seat which could help shape the balance of power in NSW.
Prominent Singleton businesswoman Sue Gilroy won 19 per cent of the seat's primary votes for the Shooters in 2019 based on a subsequent boundary redraw.
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Ms Gilroy quit the party in December after leader Robert Borsak was caught on microphone in Parliament saying the speaker of the house "should have got up and clocked" former Shooters MP Helen Dalton.
Pauline Hanson's One Nation, which attracted 12 per cent of the primary vote in the 2021 Upper Hunter by-election, is not running candidates in seats the Shooters are contesting.
Fifth-generation Aberdeen farmer Kirsty O'Connell, whose push to stop new mining licences gained the support of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull two years ago, won 8.8 per cent of the primary in 2021 but said on Monday that she would not run this year.
Upper Hunter is the third most marginal seat in NSW after the redistribution with a nominal advantage of 0.5 points to the Nationals.
Labor candidate Peree Watson, the daughter of the late mining union stalwart Mick Watson, will try to wrest Upper Hunter from the Nationals for the first time.
She and incumbent MP Dave Layzell are forecast to be neck and neck after the primary count, but it is unclear how preferences will fall in the absence of former One Nation candidate Dale McNamara, Ms Gilroy and Ms O'Connell from the voting picture on March 25.
The Greens or Labor could pick up votes from those who opted for Ms O'Connell two years ago, while Mr White could gain One Nation votes.
Polling booth results from the 2022 federal election show a clear preference for the Nationals over Labor, but voting patterns may differ in a state election.
Upper house Shooters MP Mark Banasiak was in Singleton on Monday to announce Mr White as the party's candidate.
Mr White said he supported compromise solutions between mining and farming in the Upper Hunter and wanted more fairness in regional spending.
"This government raised $3.6 billion in royalties from coal last financial year.
"I want to know how much goes back into the mining communities," he said.
"We've been waiting for the Singleton bypass for years when stadiums are going up in Sydney in months.
"That's great for Sydney, but what about the regions?"
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
