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Dalton keeps seat and Labor wins in NSW election

Mar 27, 2023

Helen Dalton is keen to get on with business after comfortably winning her seat of Murray at the weekend’s NSW state election.

Independent MP Helen Dalton retained her seat of Murray with an increased majority at Saturday’s NSW state election.

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As of 1pm on Sunday, Mrs Dalton had 48.45 per cent of first preference votes (13,329).

That represented a swing of nearly 10 per cent to the incumbent and away from the Nationals candidate Peta Betts.

Mrs Dalton, who was elected as a member of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party in 2019, becomes the first independent elected in the electorate since Joe Lawson in 1971.

Another former SFFP MP Roy Butler, who also quit the minor party to run as an independent after denouncing the party's leadership, has won the seat of Barwon, which takes in Broken Hill and Menindee.

Sitting Liberal MP Justin Clancy looks set to comfortably retain the seat of Albury.

Mrs Dalton told the Riverine Herald on Sunday she was focused on the next four years and outlined her policy agenda.

“(I’m) looking forward to now getting stuck into those five key areas of improvement — healthcare, education, infrastructure (including roads, rail, bridges and digital connectivity), housing shortages and labour shortages,” she said.

“I’ve already had assurances from Labor that they will be taking a look at our health districts and de-merging some of our schools.

“I don’t like governments that procrastinate. We’ve got the money in the budget (for Moama Police Station) and we want to get on with the job.

“Over the past 10 or even 20 years water management has been favouring politics rather than the community and environment and we’re seeing that right now with fish kill. It’s mismanagement.”

As of Monday morning, 12 seats hung in the balance in the NSW election as the count resumes to determine the margin of Labor’s victory.

Premier-elect Chris Minns is tipped to lead a majority government with at least 47 seats as the Liberal Party looks for a new leader after Dominic Perrottet stepped down following Saturday’s election loss.

The election featured a swing of about six per cent to Labor, which was dwarfed by the 16 per cent swing against the party when it lost government in 2011.

The obvious heir-apparent to the Liberal leadership, Matt Kean, ruled himself out of the contest on Sunday, saying he was instead choosing to “hang out and be a dad” to his three-year-old son, Tommy, while serving his Hornsby electorate.