| Dear Neville,
There was a political earthquake over the weekend in NSW, and it is all down to you and this incredible social movement we’ve created together.We all knew that CSG and coal had become the defining issue of the election in regional NSW. We all knew that it was going to shift votes.
But on Saturday, it shifted more votes than perhaps any of us dared to hope.
And the end result is up to five seats which have changed hands as result.
Seats that have changed hands, or are today still hanging in the balance, include Ballina and Lismore in the Northern Rivers, Campbelltown in Western Sydney, and Wyong and Gosford on the Central Coast.
The most unprecedented and extraordinary outcome of this election are swings of up to 30% directly from the National Party to the Greens in the Northern Rivers.
It was a referendum on CSG in the Northern Rivers, and the National Party was found wanting. For the first time ever in Australian political history, they have lost seats directly to the Greens. Ballina has shifted, whilst Lismore is still hanging in the balance, waiting on pre-poll votes to be counted.
But it’s not just in the Northern Rivers where you made a difference.
The seats of Wyong, Gosford and Campbelltown were gained by the Labor Party, after they opposed a damaging coal mine proposal on the Central Coast and vowed to prevent the expansion of CSG in those seats.
Even in seats that didn’t change hands, the swings against the NSW Government were largest in regional electorates where our movement is strongest. Seats like Clarence, Upper Hunter and Barwon all saw close to 20% swings or more against sitting members.
Across the broad sweep of our movement, and the many diverse political allegiances that we hold, we put sitting members on notice and made it clear we’ll support candidates who support our communities – regardless of their political affiliations.
The message to Mike Baird could not be clearer: he needs to act urgently to put the brakes on CSG in NSW and deliver far-reaching reform of mining laws.
We can’t thank you enough for your efforts. It has been an extraordinary campaign stretched across four years – the likes of which we have not seen before.
There have been many promises made, and there is now an incredible momentum for change. We can’t wait to get cracking and start the next phase of our movement together in NSW, and right around the country.
With greatest respect and much gratitude,
Phil Laird
National Coordinator
PS If you want to support Lock the Gate Alliance and keep on building this powerful movement of ours into an unstoppable force, then please become a Gate Keeper today.
Lock the Gate Alliance
http://www.lockthegate.org.au/ |
