Current Voting Results:

Percentage Counted: 0.9%

Labor - 26.7% Vote, 16 Seats Won (-16.0% Swing)
Liberal - 15.1% Vote, 8 Seats Won (-9.6% Swing)
National - 35.8% Vote, 12 Seats Won (26.1% Swing)
Greens - 9.4% Vote, 0 Seats Won (1.3% Swing)
Christian Dems - 0.9% Vote, 0 Seats Won (-0.8% Swing)
Others - 12.0% Vote, 1 Seats Won (-1.0% Swing)


Hey, does anyone know whether the Nationals are allied with the Liberals on a state level in NSW? I'm admittedly kinda ignorant on NSW state politics.  :P

Current Voting Results:

Primary Votes

Percentage Counted: 2.2%

Labor - 29.1% Vote, 26 Seats Won (-13.6% Swing)
Liberal - 19.2% Vote, 12 Seats Won (-5.5% Swing)
National - 28.1% Vote, 13 Seats Won (18.5% Swing)
Greens - 10.2% Vote, 0 Seats Won (2.0% Swing)
Christian Dems - 1.6% Vote, 0 Seats Won (-0.1% Swing)
Others - 11.8% Vote, 2 Seats Won (-1.2% Swing)

I wondered that myself DT - but I just heard someone from the Nationals talking about them being their coalition partners, so I assume it's for the State as well as Commonwealth.

Looks like ALP is going to get back in - although listening to the Libs and Nationals you would think they were going to win.

After all the vilification the media and Liberals have laid on Morris Iemma - he's doing very well.

I have seen the difference he has made in my area over the last 18 months and he is working hard to make up for Carr letting everyone down.

So whats the message for the federal election?

On one hand you have Labor carrying on about how this is a message to Howard over IR (doubtful) and a fairly strong demonstration of Labor support, but then the country has been Labor states and Coalition federal for along time now?

On the other hand you have the Liberals jumping up and down about a swing towards them (2%??) and the obvious fact that incumbency has won out again?

Or is it just that state and federal politics are not comparable and there is no message to be read for the federal election?

I think that the federal situation is driving it. The Labor monoply over the states is a reaction to the long term the coalition has served federally. Australians have a tendency to vote different parties into power in state and federal politics as a way to balance power. If Labor wins the next federal election, I predict state Labor governments to start dropping like flies. I'm surprised there wasn't more of a swing away from Labor given the liklihood of the coalition losing the next federal election.

freediver wrote on Mar 30^th, 2007 at 6:10am:

I think that the federal situation is driving it. The Labor monoply over the states is a reaction to the long term the coalition has served federally. Australians have a tendency to vote different parties into power in state and federal politics as a way to balance power. If Labor wins the next federal election, I predict state Labor governments to start dropping like flies. I'm surprised there wasn't more of a swing away from Labor given the liklihood of the coalition losing the next federal election.

There would have been but Debnam was an idiot and threw all the perfect opportunities he got right out the window. Accusing a sitting minister of corruption and hidden police investigation without a shred of evidence apart from years old hearsay?? Come on... He deserved to lose, even Howard distanced himself from Debnam after that gaffe. Debnam also pulled a Latham and appeared to run a one man show, I personally don't recall hearing anything from a liberal shadow minister through the whole campaign, just Debnam.

Debnam is the Liberals Latham... he lost a perfectly winnable election, but hey at least he achieved some positive swing unlike Latham...

freediver wrote on Mar 30^th, 2007 at 6:10am:

Australians have a tendency to vote different parties into power in state and federal politics as a way to balance power.

I know that is true since the 90s, but what about before then?

Its an interesting proposition. Can you recommend any references on the internet?

No, it's something my father has always said, so I assumed it reflected a bit of history. It would be worth checking out. It's one of those things I would like to look into if I had the time.