THE POLL BLUDGER
New South Wales Legislative Assembly Election 2007

TWEED
Labor 4.0%

Tweed is the state's northernmost coastal electorate, taking its name from the river that runs just south of the New South Wales-Queensland border. It extends from Tweed Heads on the border through surrounding communities as far south as Burringbar. The name of the electorate was changed from Murwillumbah in 1999, reflecting rapid development along the coast. Murwillumbah in turn replaced Byron in 1988, the bay of that name having moved to Ballina. The town of Murwillumbah has now been transferred to the interior electorate of Lismore, for the loss of 9000 voters; this area leaned slightly against Labor in 2003, and can be expected to do so more strongly this time due to the government's closure of the Casino to Murwillumbah railway. Such has been the area's growth that the electorate has only been compensated with 2000 new voters in Labor-leaning Pottsville at the southern coastal end, formerly in Ballina. The changes have added 0.2 per cent to the Labor margin. The most significant variations in booth results relate to the Greens, who poll over 20 per cent in the counter-cultural hinterland but only around 7 per cent in and around Tweed Heads. Redistributions have progressively eaten into the former area, and this one has been no exception: among the booths lost to Lismore is Kunghur, where the Greens topped the poll in 2003 with 36.2 per cent.

Taken together, Byron and Murwillumbah were in National/Country Party hands until 1999, although the margin fell below 2 per cent at four elections in the 20 years before it finally fell to Labor. The end came with Neville Newell's (right) win over Don Beck, the member since 1984. Newell had earlier conquered a National Party stronghold when he defeated federal leader Charles Blunt in Richmond in 1990. Larry Anthony recovered Richmond for the National Party when the Keating government was defeated in 1996; Newell ran again in 1998 and came within 650 votes of winning it back. His 1999 win in Tweed came from a 4.7 per cent swing that erased a notional Nationals margin of 2.1 per cent, and was followed by a further 1.2 per cent swing in 2003. After the election he was promoted to parliamentary secretary for rural affairs, local government and emergency services; the first two were exchanged for justice when Morris Iemma became Premier in August 2005.

The Nationals candidate is Geoff Provest (left), former general manager of the Tweed Heads Bowls Club. Others who had been mentioned as possible preselection contenders were former Tweed Shire mayor Warren Polglase, businessman and local party chairman Murray Lees, and Larry Anthony. The Liberals had been hoping to emerge from coalition negotiations with an agreement that they rather than the Nationals would contest the seat, but emerged empty-handed.

Morris Iemma scored some good photo ops early in the campaign by meeting with Peter Beattie at the Queensland border, where measures to make life easier for cross-border taxi operators were unveiled. There was also talk of integration of rail and health services. However, Financial Review reporter Steven Scott thought Beattie a "curious choice of campaign partner, because many Tweed residents are jealous of the lower taxes, cheaper cost of living and better infrastructure north of the border". Cosima Marriner of the Sydney Morning Herald said Neville Newell had "the air of a man who suspects he is already beaten", as he suffered a "perceived inability to get things done (which) has earned him some unflattering nicknames – Nodding Nevvie, Last Sleeper on the Tweed, and Chauncey Gardener (after the accidental politician played by Peter Sellers in the 1979 movie Being There)".

ASSESSMENT: Labor retain