The outer South West Sydney region will have plenty of choice when it votes in the NSW election on Saturday, March 23.
A total of 40 candidates have thrown their hats in the ring across the six electorates of the region, Camden, Campbelltown, Liverpool, Macquarie Fields, Holsworthy and Wollondilly.
The ballot draws were held by Electoral Commission officers earlier today.
There is a swag of independents and representatives of new political organisations, some most people have never heard of, such as Keep Sydney Open.
Wollondilly, with eight candidates lining up in a mini Melbourne Cup field, will be one of the most interesting local seats to watch, with former mayor and sitting councillor Judy Hannan set to give the Liberal Party’s Nat Smith a run for his money.
Not that it’s a two horse race: depending on the vote and preferences, Labor’s Jo-Ann Davidson will also fancy her chances of finishing first.
Labor candidate Sally Quinnell
There are seven candidates in Camden, where again the sitting member is not contesting the seat.
Camden mayor Peter Sidgreaves faces strong challenges from both the Labor candidate Sally Quinnell and independent Andrew Simpson, who played a leading role in fighting the M9 Orbital corridor proposal, which could have been a disaster for a lot of local residents.
Three incumbents running again, Paul Lynch in Liverpool, Greg Warren in Campbelltown and Anoulack in Chanthivong, all Labor MPs, are expected to be returned without too much trouble.
A sitting MP who may struggle, especially if there is a swing against the Berejiklian Government, is Melanie Gibbons in Holsworthy, pictured below.
She is once again up against Labor’s rising star in Liverpool, Charisma Kaliyanda, who is also on the council.
The candidates in each electorate are:
Camden -Sally Quinnell Labor, Peter Sidgreaves Liberal, Ben Casey Pauline Hanson One Nation (PHON, Andrew Simpson Independent, Danica Sajn Sustainable Australia, Karen Stewart Greens, Daniel Aragona Keep Sydney Open
Campbelltown – Martin O’Sullivan Keep Sydney Open, sitting MP Greg Warren ALP (elected 2015), Matthew Stellino Animal Justice Party, James Gent Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group), Michael Clark Sustainable Australia, Jayden Rivera Greens, Riley Munro Liberal.
Liverpool – Michael Andjelkovic Independent, Paul Zadro Liberal, Signe Westerberg Greens, Adam Novek Australian Conservatives NSW, sitting MP Paul Lynch Labor (elected 1995), Ravneel Chand Keep Sydney Open.
Macquarie Fields – Scott Singh Keep Sydney Open, Mick Allen Independent, Syed Ahmed Independent, Zahurul Quazi Liberal, Stephen Eagar-Deitz Greens, sitting MP Anoulack Chanthivong ) Labor (elected 2015).
Holsworthy – Gae Constable Animal Justice Party (inner city), Charisma Kaliyanda Labor, sitting MP Melanie Gibbons Liberal, (elected 2011), Chris Kerle Greens, Michael Byrne PHON, Roland Barber Liberal Democrats.
Wollondilly – Judy Hannnan Independent, David Powell Greens, Heather Edwards Animal Justice Party, Charlie Fenton PHON, Jason Bolwell Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, Nat Smith Liberal, Jo-Ann Davidson Country Labor, Mitchell Black Liberal Democrats.
