In the same year that Page was created - 1984 - PM Bob Hawke went to the polls to take advantage of the division in the Liberal party between the wets and the drys.
John
Howard was part of this division seizing the opposition leadership off
Andrew Peacock nearly a year after Peacock’s defeat by Hawke. Andrew
Peacock is now history and Howard is in a battle for the 2007 election
where leadership of the Liberals is an issue again, with Peter Costello
champing at the bit for a go at the top job.
First time around, Page was won
for the Nationals. It was taken for labor by Harry Woods in 1990 and
the current member Ian Causley won it back for the Nationals in 1996.
This is a marginal seat for the Nationals and the retirement of Ian
Causley and a redistribution of boundaries makes it seat where the
Nationals will have to fight to keep it.
The electorate is made up of the large cities of Lismore and Grafton.and the two main candidates come from these two areas. The
Nationals chose former Maclean Mayor and current councilor Chris
Gulaptis and labor has put up a well known Lismore resident and former
member of the NSW Legislative Council Janelle Saffin. Other large towns in the electorate are Ballina, Casino, Evans Head, Kyogle and Iluka.
Water is one issue that will get a big airing in Page. Howard has bought into the issue by declaring that some of the rivers should be sharing their water with Queensland. Drought ravaged farmers are having none of this and some towns in the electorate have severe water restrictions. Recent
rains have eased the severity of the drought but farmers have long
memories and the free flowing Big Rivers of the Clarence and Richmond are a source of income for many fishing fleet operators in Ballina, Iluka and Maclean. The
position of the candidates is similar but the Labor party has used the
Prime Minister’s words to ignite passion, and talk of dams and pipes
running over the border to a thirsty South East Queensland, is sure to
surface in the election campaign..
The
economy of the Page electorate does not rely on mining so the economy
is not as robust as the government would like. It is a rural area
affected by drought and the land boom on the coast is now only being
reflected in the inland towns like Casino and Kyogle. Incomes in the
region are on the lower end of the scale with Median weekly income $713
compared to national of $1027. Unemployment in the
Richmond Tweed area is currently at 8.9% which is higher than the state
regional rate of 5.8%. The effects of Workchoices in an area of high
unemployment are likely to have more impact than areas where workers
are freer to switch jobs for better conditions.
The
health system is also a talking point with the Lismore local daily
newspaper waging a campaign for a cancer treatment radiotheraphy unit
to be built immediately. This is a plus for Labor if
Janelle, who has an interest in health issues, can get Kevin Rudd’s
hospital plans out to the electorate. Doctors are also needed in most
rural areas and any party with plans for more doctors will be listened
to favorably.
National security seems far from the minds of the average resident. Citizenship test and terrorists are for the big cities far to the south or over the border in Queensland. Locals are concerned for their lifestyle and their children’s opportunities in the expanding economy. They don’t want to be left behind in education, communications and access to health facilities. These are always election issues in the “bush” and that is why this electorate swings between National and Labor. They want the best of both worlds, the lifestyle of peaceful rural Australia and the facilities of a first world country. The trick for the politicians is getting the balance right.
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