On the third day, the Great Gough rose from the dead and breathed life into the Labor vote in two byelections being held in the Hunter region of NSW. And it came to pass that Labor won both seats — Newcastle and Charlestown — and there was great rejoicing among the comrades.
Their leader, John Robertson, proclaimed “mission accomplished” and promised greater success in the state election on March 28. We shall see. He won’t have the Great Gough next time.
The Pharisees, aka the Liberals, did not stand candidates fearing they faced a whitewash from angry voters.
And another thing: their election war chest is empty because donations have dried up in the wake of public revelations at the Independent Commission Against Corruption of campaign rorts and dodgy business deals.
Before Gough’s death on October 22, there was no sign that voters in Newcastle and Charlestown were remotely interested in Labor’s campaign. The Greens were attracting many more followers to their public meetings and street events.
His death at 98 brought an avalanche of coverage in the mainstream and social media. The Newcastle Herald printed full-colour wraparounds devoted to his life, legacy and triumphs. People recalled the 1969, 1972 and 1974 federal elections, when Labor triumphed in the Hunter and the nation changed for the better. And they also recalled “old Labor”, i.e. what the ALP was like before it was taken over by spivs and deal makers.
As if by magic, Labor voters began to emerge from the sullen suburbs and neglected streets of the two electorates. They found that had something to be proud of and something worth voting for, even if was only a memory of grand things past.
When the votes were counted on Saturday night, Charlestown’s new MP, Jodie Harrison, had collected a primary vote of 49.67% and a two-party preferred result of 70.3%. By way of comparison, at the last state election in March 2011, sitting Labor MP Matthew Morris attracted a primary vote of just 28.9%. He lost the seat to the Liberals.
Labor’s candidate in the Newcastle seat, Tim Crakanthorp, had a less spectacular win. His primary vote was 36.95%, with independent Karen Howard in second place with 26.3%*.
Given recent ICAC revelations about former ALP factional powerbrokers Eddie Obeid, Ian Macdonald, Eric Roozendaal and Joe Tripodi, voters in Newcastle and Charlestown have either short memories or they are extremely forgiving.
For my money, they gave a sentimental vote to Labor. They were voting for Gough.
If “Robbo” thinks they were voting for him, he must be dreaming.
*Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly said the Greens candidate came second in Newcastle.
What an odd conclusion is presented in the final paragraphs.
The public now knows that both seats were stolen from Labor in the previous election by a party that systematically rorted the system. So, four Labor figures were disgraced in royal commissions? What about the ten NSW Lib MP’s, some Ministers of the Crown, who have thus far either resigned their party membership or resigned their seats entirely? And, of course, the ex-Lord Mayor of Newcastle, the “walking teller machine”?
The weekend’s results were entirely to be expected.
When the final figures are available it will be much more interesting to compare the primary Labor vote with that from previous elections. That will demonstrate clearly whether or not the electors have truly changed their mind about Labor.
Gough’s passing had nothing to do with the result.
“…sullen suburbs and neglected streets…”
Oy! I live here and it is very far from sullen or neglected. Not only do you fail to understand anything about the last by-elections in Newcastle and Charlestown you attempt to insult our beautiful region.
I grew up in Charlestown and have lived in the Newcastle electorate for nearly 40 years. I was a booth worker handing out how-to-vote Greens material as I have for the previous 8 or 9 elections. People here are really angry at Sydney more than they are about Labor or Liberal. It seems as if Sydney simply ignores or rejects Newcastle as a dirty industrial town. We hear it all the time from Sydney people who have never been here. We don’t need to read it from Crikey as well.
There’s always talk in Newcastle about seceding from NSW and forming our own State encompassing North and North West of the State. We hate Sydney that much. Labor or Liberal are irrelevant. They are merely the same Sydney mob lording over us and starving our city (and the rest of the State) of funding.
You should also realize that the Liberal government plan to cut the railway into Newcastle and replace it with a slower and more inconvenient transport solution. Many people who came to vote last Saturday mentioned this issue and asked whether or not the candidates supported keeping the rail. Labor and Greens and many of the independents (“independent” Karen Howard excluded) also vowed to keep the railway.
Alex Mitchell, You must be from Sydney.
While I might quibble over some of your comments, Alex, you’re certainly closer to reality than emotive commenters with complaints such as the conservatives “stole” the seats from us last time. For decades we turned a blind eye to the well-known activities of our M.Ps with Milton Orkopolous being the most spectacular but far from only example.
As for suggestions the replacement of trains for the final leg into Newcastle is a wrong, politically it’s an unusually rational political decision requiring a courage the mentally challenged wouldn’t understand.
Re-read NH’s last sentence.
NH is clearly not from Newcastle or the Hunter, is essentially the brain of a parrot in the body of an ostrich and is a bit of a born hater. Accordingly, the only two words he understands in the whole sentence are “mentally challenged” – he gets a daily opportunity to refresh his memory of this concept in the mirror.
Trains have been rolling into Newcastle Station for almost 150 years. If the Powers That Be and the likes of the Norman H’s of this world were to get seriously smart, they would find a way to reduce the silly quasi safety nonsense that forces Australian rail line easements to be far too wide, fenced and hence very socially undesirable in an urban context.
The problem is not the rail line, it is what comes with it.
JohnB, I was taking an interest in The Hunter which probably began before you were born and although I haven’t lived there for some time continued to visit there regularly. One doesn’t however need residential status or even minimally intelligent to know that worldwide there have been thousands of train lines which ran for 150 years or more before being closed down because there were better alternatives. Newcastle will be but one more example.
Who knows, next thing we know JohnB might be campaigning to restore the Sandy Hollow Line, or even move to Burnie Tasmania and start campaigning to reopen the train Line from there to Darwin?
The problem is not the rail line, it is what comes with it.