THE POLL BLUDGER
New South Wales Legislative Assembly Election 2007

ROCKDALE
Labor 15.8%

Rockdale covers the western shore of Botany Bay, from Wolli Creek and the mouth of Cooks River through Arncliffe, Rockdale, and Ramsgate to Sans Souci. It has been only slightly affected by the redistribution, gaining 2000 voters around Bexley East from Kogarah to the west. Labor has held the seat since it was created in 1941, though it came within 54 votes of what would have been a spectacular defeat at a by-election in 1986. This was held when sitting member Brian Bannon agreed to vacate the seat so Barrie Unsworth could come down from the upper house and assume the premiership after Neville Wran's resignation. Labor suffered a 17.1 per cent slump on the primary vote and an estimated 14.5 per cent two-party swing, although the seat returned to business as usual at the 1988 election. Unsworth served out his term and was replaced in 1991 by George Thompson, who in 2003 was persuaded by the Right to make way for its star recruit, Sydney lord mayor Frank Sartor (right).

Sartor's path to preselection was smoothed by the Right-controlled head office, which waived the clause requiring two years of party membership and imposed an "N40" ballot giving it equal say in the outcome with party branches. The new recruit initially caused embarrassment to the party leadership when he indicated he would stay on as lord mayor after being elected (as Bligh MP Clover Moore has since done), but he retreated from this position at Bob Carr's insistence. He went immediately into cabinet as Minister for Energy and Utilities, Science and Medical Research, exchanging energy and utilities for planning and "Redfern-Waterloo" when Morris Iemma became Premier in August 2005. The latter role has put him at odds with indigenous groups over plans to reduce public housing in the area. He was also criticised for telling an Aboriginal radio station that Aboriginal Housing Company chairman Mick Mundine should get "his black arse" in to talk with him, for which he apologised.

Sartor again required top-level intervention to secure his preselection for the current election, after coming under pressure from Shaoquett Moselmane, Rockdale mayor and Lebanese community leader. Moselmane reportedly had the numbers to win preselection before Sartor was installed in 2003, but was persuaded to stand aside when the Right promised him an upper house seat. He was accordingly aggrieved when the vacancy created by Tony Burke's entry into federal politics as member for Watson was filled by party state secretary Eric Roozendal. Sartor's place was again secured through an N40 ballot, imposed at Morris Iemma's direction.

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain