THE POLL BLUDGER
New South Wales Legislative Assembly Election 2007

HEFFRON
Labor 24.2%

Heffron is located due south of the city, from Redfern south through Sydenham and Kensington to Sydney Airport and Botany Bay. The redistribution has pushed the electorate north into the inner city east of Redfern, adding nearly 7000 voters formerly in Bligh (now renamed Sydney). To the west, an exchange of territory with Maroubra has added 2800 voters around Pagewood and removed more than 9000 between Wentworth Avenue and Botany Bay to the south. The seat was created in 1973 in place of the abolished Randwick, a bellwether electorate that had changed hands along with government in 1930, 1932 and 1941. The area became stronger over time for Labor, who have held Heffron throughout its existence. The inaugural member was Laurie Brereton, member for Randwick since 1970, who became a senior front-bencher in the Wran-Unsworth government before entering federal politics in 1990 as member for Kingsford-Smith. He was succeeded in Heffron by his sister Deirdre Grusovin, who had been an upper house member since 1978.

Grusovin went on to lose preselection at the 2003 election after head office imposed an "N40" ballot, an often-abused mechanism designed to give head office power to impose female candidates against resistance from the party's male-dominated power structures. Laurie Brereton claimed he voted in favour of it on the understanding it was being used for this purpose, but the position of general secretary Eric Roozendal was that the 64-year-old Grusovin was too old and should make way for a younger candidate. His nominee was Kristina Keneally (right), a former St Vincent de Paul youth services director who was born, raised and educated in the United States before moving to Australia in 1994. Brad Norington of the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the dispute was considered a "proxy battle" between Brereton and Roozendal, and that it was believed Grusovin was only standing to smooth the path for Brereton's son Anthony to succeed her.

Grusovin appealed unsuccessfully against the N40 ballot to the national executive; Monica Videnieks of The Australian reported this move initially had the backing of then-federal leader Simon Crean. However, Crean was persuaded to back down when Roozendal's supporters told him it would lead to "trouble on the national conference floor". As the national executive appeal could not succeed without Crean's support, Brereton and Grusovin sought a Supreme Court injunction to prevent the preselection from proceeding, but agreed to withdraw it a week later. The N40 ballot was duly held and delivered a 40-27 victory to Keneally, who soon emerged as a hopeful for the ministry. In December 2005, Alex Mitchell of the Sun-Herald reported she was one of three female MPs "lining up" to replace Diane Beamer, then struggling in the fair trading portfolio.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain