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THE POLL BLUDGER WATSON
Watson was called St George from its creation in 1949 until 1993, reflecting the unofficial name for the area of southern Sydney around Hurstville. It was originally a marginal seat, and changed hands frequently until Whitlam government minister Bill Morrison recovered the seat in 1980 after losing it in 1975. Labor's hold on the seat was secured by demographic changes that have given the seat the country's second highest proportion of voters born in non-English speaking countries. Right faction chieftain Leo McLeay came to the seat from Grayndler in 1993, holding it until his retirement in 2004. McLeay had long hoped that his son Paul would assume the seat upon his retirement but was made to abandon the idea, and he has instead emerged as the state member for Heathcote. With the loosening of the McLeay family grip, the Labor nomination went to Tony Burke, who entered the New South Wales Legislative Council at the 2003 state election and quickly established a reputation as one of the more alert members of that chamber. | |