State election wrap-up for Sydney’s inner-city

By ERIN MODARO

The final vote counts for the Legislative Assembly are filing in, and as Labor emerged as NSW’s victors, several key battles occurred within Sydney’s city limits. All parties managed to retain their seats this election in the electorates of Sydney, Vaucluse, Heffron, Maroubra, Newtown, Balmain and Coogee.

However, changes can be seen in the results so far, which reveal emergent patterns sure to stir up in future elections.

While on Tuesday morning,  it remains unclear whether Labor will form a majority government, Labor’s win was clear against the LNP.  But  ABC’s election whiz Antony Green predicting majority government on Saturday night (March 25) was proofed to be short lived .

Majority government for Chris Minns and Labor may end up being as tight an affair as Neville Wran in 1976 waiting two weeks for Hurstville to be decided, and Bob Carr in 1995 waiting on Badgerys Creek and Gladesville. #nswvotes #nswpol

— Antony Green – elections (@AntonyGreenElec) March 27, 2023

Labor’s Victories

In Sydney’s inner-city, Labor mainly had to contend with Greens and Independent competition, as the metropolitan areas of the CBD swing more progressive than the wealthy eastern suburbs electorates of Vaucluse and Coogee.

Heffron, which encapsulates suburbs to the South of the CBD including the fast expanding hubs of Waterloo and Zetland, was Labor’s safest seat in the inner-city. Heffron proved steadfast for Labor, with the party leading with a massive 74.1% preference for Ron Hoenig over Liberal candidate Francis Devine.

This means Labor has gained a swing of 8.8%, and incumbent Ron Hoenig will continue to hold the seat.

Labor gained a slightly narrower majority in Coogee, a historically marginal seat which swings between the major parties. Labor had a chance to miss this seat this election but pulled through, and Coogee was retained by Marjorie O’Neill.

Previously, Labor held Coogee by a margin of just 2.3%, but has increased their hold over the Liberals by a fair chunk this election, with O’Neill currently holding 61.3% preference over Liberal candidate Kylie Von Muenster.

Further South along the coast, incumbent Michael Daley has held onto Maroubra for Labor, with a current preference of 68.7% over Liberal’s Bill Burst. Marobura, like Heffron, has been a safe Labor seat since 1950.

The Battle for Balmain

Balmain was where the excitement was at, with a tight race between two Inner West Councillors. Greens candidate Kobi Shetty managed to pull through with a small lead in front of Labor’s Philippa Scott.

The votes were close, with Scott conceding the seat to Shetty on Monday afternoon. Shetty made a historic win becoming the first Greens MP to be elected to a seat previously held by a retiring sitting Greens member.

Balmain represented an opportunity for Labor this election as previous Greens MP Jamie Parker announced last year that he would retire. Parker was the first non-labor candidate to win Balmain in the seat’s history in 2011, and firmly held his position with a previous margin of 10% for the Greens.

Labor has gained an 8% swing for Balmain this election. With Shetty just managing to sweep past Scott, Balmain remains one of three Green seats in NSW.

A less nail-biting win for the Greens came in Newtown, NSW’s smallest electorate which houses some of the most progressive populations in the state. Incumbent Jenny Leong beat out Labor’s David Hetherington with a two party preferred 63.1% and a primary vote of 56% (26% more than Labor). Leong is also the first Greens MP in any Australian jurisdiction to win an election on primary votes.

This makes a further 1.1% swing towards the Greens, winning Leong a third term as MP.

Newtown, Balmain and Ballina (northern NSW) have all been retained by the Greens, giving them three seats on the crossbench to work with.

One independent in, one out

For independents in the inner-city this election, it came as no surprise that Sydney’s Alex Greenwich retained his seat with a strong lead over the Liberals.

Greenwich is currently at 69.8% preference over Liberal candidate Phyllisse Stanton. He will serve his fourth term as MP for Sydney.

In neighbouring Vaucluse, teal independent Karen Freyer put up a fight against Liberal newcomer Kellie Sloane, but couldn’t contend with the Liberal’s hold on the seat.

Sloane is currently at 62.2% preference over Freyer. However, Freyer has won an 8.4% swing from the Liberals, meaning the seat could continue to be contested by teals in the coming years.