Not easy being Green: confusion over voting in Balmain

What was expected to be a historic election victory the Greens in Balmain, soon became a three-person race for victory.

Labor’s Verity Firth and the Greens Jamie Parker are locked in a race for the second-highest primary vote, trailing Liberal candidate James Falk who continues to lead on postal votes as of Tuesday.

It is predicted the preferences from whoever is placed third will push the candidate in second place over the line.

But Cr Parker has accused the Education Minister of running her marginal-seat like an independent.

He told City News Labor went back on their word to preference him third on the how-to-vote card (HTV).

“In pre-poll they handed out a HTV card that had: one Labour, two Indepndent Maire Sheehan, [and] three Jamie Parker,” he said.

“But on election day, they changed their how-to-vote cards. They had one Firth, two Sheehan.”

Cr Parker said he had made a preferencing deal with Labor campaigners as they had expressed concern with the possibility of Falk winning the seat.

“They said they were preferencing us because they were worried a Liberal may get elected,” he said.

Cr Parker said both he, and Labor staffers were confused to arrive on election day and find he was no longer on the HTV card.

“I think even some Labor people were surprised,” he said.

“They must have known they would have been issuing a different how-to-vote. It is pretty clear they would have had to have lodged those variations with the electoral commission.”

But Firth has hit back, saying she appealed to Cr Parker in the weeks before the election to preference her.

“I wrote to Mr Parker in the lead up to the election formally requesting that Labor and the Greens swap preferences in the electorate of Balmain,” she told City News.

“Mr Parker point blank refused to preference either me in Balmain or Labor in the upper house.”

“Given Mr Parker’s refusal to support a progressive preference deal in the seat, as well as further reports in the media regarding his business associations, it became untenable to continue to extend preferences in the lower house to Mr Parker on the day.”

Ms Firth said despite not preferencing Cr Parker in Balmain, the party did extend their preferences to the Greens in the upper house.

She also expressed concern that the Greens decision to not preference Labor may result in Pauline Hanson being elected to Parliament.

“The Greens’ decision has made very real the possibility that Pauline Hanson could be elected to NSW Parliament,”

With a race too tight to call, it was predicted 4200 postal votes would offer some insight, but it is now down to 4000 absentee votes.

A result it is expected today or tomorrow.

by Sophie Cousins