Election Diary has been somewhat critical of Dominic Perrottet's failure to visit Newcastle in the 529 days since he became Premier, but Labor leader Chris Minns has been curiously absent from the Upper Hunter, too, during the campaign.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Nationals hold the seat on a tiny 0.5-point margin, making it the third-tightest contest in the state before the March 25 vote.
Pre-polling starts today, and the major parties are unlikely to roll out big funding announcements in the final week on the hustings.
Minns has been to Newcastle several times in the past six months to announce broader policies on domestic manufacturing and to talk down the Coalition's privatisation record.
However, there's been little in the way of funding announcements, other than $21 million for mass sand renourishment at Stockton beach.
Labor could hardly be accused of trying to pork-barrel Upper Hunter.
As far as ED is aware, Minns has not been on the ground to help candidate Peree Watson, who has enjoyed visits from deputy leader Prue Car and senior shadow minister John Graham in the past five weeks.
The most significant promises of Labor's Upper Hunter campaign have been a commitment (without a dollar figure attached) to build a new high school at Huntlee, which is actually in the seat of Cessnock but would serve the Upper Hunter electorate's newly annexed town of Branxton, and another pledge (without a dollar figure attached) to establish a Hunter clean energy transition authority.
Minns told ED a few weeks ago that he knew a thing or two about contesting a marginal seat.
His own electorate of Kogarah, with a 0.1-point margin, is the most marginal in NSW.
It is hard to fathom why he has not been more visible in a seat Labor surely must have hopes of winning and may need to flip if it is to win a parliamentary majority.
Nationals MP Dave Layzell has announced $102 million for Scone Hospital, another $9 million for the Denman to Sandy Hollow water pipeline and $20 million for Scone racecourse.
Perrottet was in Dungog a few weeks ago to announce a toilet block, but Upper Hunter is hardly living up to its billing as a "key seat".
Watson said on Friday that she was happy with the support she had received from Labor HQ and "Chris is always welcome in the Upper Hunter".
Everyone seems very busy in the great state of Western Sydney, though ED is relieved to report the gush of funding announcements for the west metropolis has finally subsided.
An even-money bet
Party operatives see next weekend's vote as a close-run thing, with very little separating the two parties and their leaders.
ED put it to several political types that Perrottet had done about as well as the Liberals could expect after Gladys Berejiklian's demise and Minns had done about as well as Labor could hope for post-Jodi McKay.
They did not disagree.
An ACM survey this week showed regional voters (which, for the sake of the exercise, included Newcastle and Wollongong) regard government integrity as the most important vote-turning issue in the election.
The Coalition has been embroiled in a series of integrity and pork-barrelling controversies, and Labor still carries the stain of Joe Tripodi, the jailed Ian Macdonald et al.
But the regional sentiment is unlikely to hurt the government electorally.
The polls suggest cost of living is a more pressing concern for the Sydney voters who are likely to decide the election.
In an even, and some would say bland, contest with relatively little differentiation between the two leaders, the one issue which could influence swinging voters is gambling reform.
Perrottet has promised to make all pokies cashless within five years.
ED will not be surprised if more than a few voters have this in mind when they step into the polling booth.
Sad loss for Lakes
Condolences to the family of long-serving Myall Lakes MP Stephen Bromhead, who died of mesothelioma on Thursday.
Bromhead announced last year that he was leaving politics at this year's election after being diagnosed with the lung condition and passed on the reins to Nationals candidate Tanya Thompson.
IN THE NEWS
- Double the meals: where Soul Cafe is seeing the strain
- Rival club closing in on Knights star
- RAAF plans for major Williamtown air show revealed
- 'From the plains': meet the Hunter's new Catholic bishop
- Former Newcastle flyer retires after concussions, injuries
- Myall Lakes MP Stephen Bromhead remembered
- How Hunter Park could bring elite netball back to Newcastle
To see more stories and read today's paper download the Newcastle Herald news app here.
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.
