|
THE POLL BLUDGER CALARE
Created in 1906, Calare's combination of large towns and conservative rural areas have given it a fairly volatile history. The Liberals won the seat from Labor in 1946 and held it until 1960, when it was lost to the Country Party at a by-election. Labor's position was improved by the addition of Bathurst in 1977, helping David Simmons gain the seat when Bob Hawke came to power in 1983. Simmons held the seat until his retirement at the 1996 election, at which point the Nationals expected it would fall into their lap. They were to be frustrated by an independent, local television news presenter Peter Andren, who outpolled Labor 29.4 per cent to 29.0 per cent (widening to 35.1 per cent to 30.2 per cent after preferences) and romped home to a 13.3 per cent win over the Nationals. Andren was easily re-elected at the next three elections, before drawing a short straw with the current redistibution. The electorate has exchanged the populous eastern areas of Bathurst and Lithgow (to Macquarie) for a vast interior area extending through Narromine and Cobar to Bourke in the north and Wilcannia in the west (from Parkes). After much speculation as to whether he would stay with Calare or more to Macquarie, Andren surprised everybody with his announcement in March that he would run for the Senate. This makes it very likely that the newly redrawn seat will go to its natural home with the Nationals, whose candidate is Parkes MP John Cobb. His main danger is from Gavin Priestley, an independent who has the backing of Andren. | |