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THE POLL BLUDGER GREENWAY
After emerging as a shock win for Liberal candidate Louise Markus in 2004, the current redistribution has substantially strengthened the Liberals' hold. The Labor-voting southern end of the old electorate has been transferred to Parramatta (from Kings Langley south to Prospect) and Chifley (Blacktown), exchanged for the semi-rural Shire of Hawkesbury from Macquarie in the north. Greenway was created in 1984 and held for Labor by margins at or near the double-digit range until 1996, when inaugural member Russell Gorman was succeeded by Frank Mossfield. Labor was hit by swings of 10.1 per cent in 1996 and 6.5 per cent in 2001, with a 6.4 per cent correction occurring in between in 1998. Mossfield had a rather low-profile career and was not thought to have taken much of a personal vote into retirement with him in 2004. Labor nominated Ed Husic, spokesman for Integral Energy and a non-practising Muslim of Bosnian background. The Liberals were perhaps more astute in nominating Markus, a community worker with Hillsong Church, then located in the electorate. Amid muttering of a whispering campaign targeting Husic's religion, Markus secured a narrow victory with a 3.7 per cent swing. She was no doubt assisted by a remarkable 11.8 per cent informal vote, most likely resulting from a bloated field of candidates and a large proportion of non-English speaking voters (who typically support Labor). | |