State Election - The battle for Port Stephens

[Nete-Quette]

[CEO]

                                                             PORT STEPHENS GOES RIGHT DOWN TO THE WIRE:
What a great campaign by ECOfishers and the Fishing Party! The seat of Port Stephens will be won or lost on the marine park issue. An incredibly great campaign fisherfolk! We took Tweed after a concerted ECOfishers campaign and Port Stephens could be wrested from Labor too. And the community supported the marine park, says Stinker Clarke and the Greens! Like hell they did! That's why the Labor Party and the Greens are being taken to preferences.
            Special congratulations to Fishing Party candidate, Paul Hennelly, who also worked hard for his votes. Here's hoping the Liberal's Craig Baumann gets the seat in the final count! Where is Stinker now? Thanks to ECOfishers Geoff, Rowan, Peter etc, etc, etc.

[CEO]

        GO PORT STEPHENS & NEWCASTLE ECOFISHERS! GO!

[CEO]

MONDAY 26/3/07.  Still gone down to preferences. It's on a knife edge. What a geat joint campaign, ECOfishers and the Fishing Party. Here's hoping!

[BOB SMITH]

All

The current position at Port Stephens after Notional Preferences is Lab 50%- Libs 50%

I hope those who supported TFP actually put a 2 in the Libs


Bob Smith

[CEO]

DEVELOPING into a real cliff hanger. Gone from the knife edge to a razor edge. And the marine park is the central issue. Come in Stinker. Over! (Or should it be "Come in spinner!")

[BOB SMITH]

Yep

Now Libs 50.1%- Lab 49.9%


Bob Smith

[CEO]

                                       
                                              GOT IT! GREAT NEWS PORT STEPHENS! CONGRATULAIONS! YOU BIG BEAUTY!
                                                             (Someone ought wash Stinkers mouth out with soap!)
                                                                           ( And in the press too!)

   And if that's not cause for a series of letters to the editor, concerning the significance the marine park issue played, in a previous Labor seat, I don't know what is!

                                        A WIN IS A WIN WHETHER IT BE BY 21 VOTES OR 2001, A WIN IS A WIN.   Now watch for the recount!

                                                                THE  PEOPLE  HAVE  SPOKEN........and Labor doesn't like it!

[row]

Libs set to snatch their first Labor seat

SMH. Date: March 31 2007. Alexandra Smith

THE Liberal candidate Craig Baumann is poised to win the once-safe Labor seat of Port Stephens - the only seat the Liberals have managed to take from the Government.
The win may give the Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, a boost in his effort to retain his job. He has delayed his party room meeting until Wednesday to allow a recount of the votes in the Hunter seat. Late yesterday, only 21 votes separated Mr Baumann, the former mayor, from the Labor candidate, Jim Arneman. The recount will be on Tuesday, but Mr Baumann is confident.
Mr Baumann's campaign was helped when Labor's John Bartlett retired and its candidate, Aaron Beasley, had to withdraw after a drink-driving offence.
Port Stephens will take the Coalition to 31 seats in the lower house. The Liberals' two other gains - Pittwater and Manly on the northern beaches - were won from independents.
The Nationals won Tweed on the far north coast, and Murray-Darling in the west from Labor.
In Miranda, the Liberals' Graham Annesley has conceded to the Labor incumbent, Barry Collier. In Lake Macquarie, Labor's Jeff Hunter is 22 votes ahead of Greg Piper, an independent.

[CEO]

GREAT WORK  Paul, Row and Co.  Labor and the Greens combined, couldn't thwart the will of the majority! See! It can be done, with the right policies, strategies and campaign!. What's the feeling among the local communities?

[CEO]

ECOfishers! It's time to point out to Stinker Clarke, the error of his ways in the media by way of letters to the editor. He is not even in touch with the local recreational fishing community.

[BOB SMITH]

It's OFFICIAL

Baumann wins by 64 votes in Port Stephens (that is how I understood it) after formal preference distribution. I wonder will the Labor party want an official recount

Bob Smith

[CEO]

GREAT NEWS: Now all ECOfishers sweat upon the results from the seat of Lake Macquarie, where the Independent candidate leads the Labor member. Another one seat would be just great. If the Independent finally wins the seat, you can expect him to be seriously "courted" by Labor, with the ultimate aim of Labor winning the seat back in 2011. While they'll be smiling at his face, they will at the same time, be stabbing him in the back. Lovely business this politics!

[BOB SMITH]

The Fishing Party congratulates Craig Baumann on a final win in Port Stephens by 68 votes. The only electorate taken from Labor by the Libs.

As they say, to win by 1 vote is good but to win by 2 or more is a landslide.


I also would like to take this opportunity to thank the TFP supporters in Port Stephens who supported our candidate Paul Hennelly who undoubtedly has provided the preferences to enable Craig to win.

I would also like to thank Row, Ted Mackay along with Peter Hughes and his crew who unselfishly gave up their day to provide support to The Fishing Party with handing out and manning the booths and displaying signs. I know they enjoyed the day and the whole exercise.
Lets hope this arrogant ALP gets the message.

Further news headlines will be available during the coming days.


Bob Smith

[CEO]

A huge "thank you," to ALL, from the Tweed south, who gave up their Saturday, to hand-out and man the booths etc. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Your dedication and loyalty to your cause is remarkable. For that we are extremely grateful. If you haven't yet seen our Executive memo of thanks for your efforts, please consider this, it.
  PS. ROW, what is the feeling and talk among the local fishers, about the election results?