THE POLL BLUDGER
New South Wales Legislative Assembly Election 2007

OATLEY
Labor 14.2%

Currently known as Georges River, the newly renamed seat of Oatley is on the northern bank of the river about 12 kilometres south-west of the city centre, from Oatley west to Lugarno and north through Mortdale to Narwee. Georges River provides the new seat with 42,000 of its voters, the balance consisting of 3000 around Narwee from Lakemba and 1000 from Kogarah in the east. It also loses 4500 voters to Kogarah in the Beverly Hills area. Georges River was usually in conservative hands from its creation in 1930 until 1970, when Frank Walker gained it for Labor at a by-election with an 11 per cent swing. A minister in the Wran/Unsworth government, Walker held the seat until 1988 when he was defeated by Liberal candidate Terry Griffiths. The Liberals' position was strengthened by the redistribution that took effect at the 1991 election, and Griffiths was easily re-elected. Griffiths served as Police Minister from 1992 to 1994, when he was compelled to resign from cabinet and the Liberal Party after it emerged that a number of staff members had made complaints of sexual harassment against him. Marie Ficarra retained the seat for the Liberals at the 1995 election, but it fell to Labor in 1999 after an unfavourable redistribution and an 8.3 per cent swing. The new member was former primary school headmaster Kevin Greene (right), who secured the seat with a further 7.4 per cent swing in 2003. Greene has otherwise kept a low profile, except when he incurred the displeasure of Police Commissioner Ken Moroney by instructing officers to conduct a fake arrest to provide him with a campaign pamphlet image. Recent reports suggest he has been jockeying for a place on the front bench.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain