While the status quo was maintained across South West Sydney and all sitting MPs were returned, Saturday’s federal election recorded single digit swings against Labor in some seats.
But there were also swings against the Liberal Party – which has won three more years in government – in two of the local seats.
In Macarthur, Dr Mike Freelander retained the seat for Labor after receiving 49 percent of first preference votes, a swing against him of 2.8 percent on 2016 figures.
However the Liberal candidate, Riley Munro, also suffered a swing against the Liberal Party of 5.5 percent on the primary votes cast.
Munro, 24, conceded defeat at around 8.30pm on Saturday night.
On a two party preferred basis, Dr Freelander claimed 60 percent of the vote and Munro 40 percent.
“Thanks Macarthur for putting your trust in me for another parliamentary term. Thanks to my family and my team for working so hard,’’ Dr Freelander said.
Thank you: Dr Mike Freelander with his wife and volunteers on Saturday.
In Hume, which includes parts of Camden, Liberal MP and energy minister in the previous government Angus Taylor was re-elected after receiving 53 percent of primary votes, same as in 2016.
However Labor candidate Aoife Champion’s 26.8 percent of first preference votes was down 5 percent on the 2016 election figures.
Speaking at supporters’ functions in Camden and Goulburn on Saturday night, Angus Taylor said:
“I sincerely thank the people of Hume for this. I am very grateful to have the privilege of representing you for another three years.
“I am so proud to have been a part of this government for the past six years and, over the recent eight months, to have been a cabinet minister with Scott Morrison.
“The swing our way is something I could not have predicted. But as I moved from booth to booth, the optimism, the confidence and belief in what we are doing, inspired me more than anything else.
“Each time I was buoyed by what I saw,’’ Taylor said.
In Fowler, Chris Hayes was comfortably re-elected having received more than 56 percent of first preference votes.
However this was five percent less than at the 2016 election result for Hayes, who has now won four elections in a row in Fowler since 2010.
The Campbelltown resident also won Werriwa in a byelection in 2005 and a general election two years later in 2007, before being forced out of the seat by Labor powerbrokers.
There was a swing of 3.4 percent against Labor in Werriwa, where MP Anne Stanley received just under 49 per cent of the primary vote this time around.
But there was also a small swing of 1.7 percent away from the Liberal Party and its candidate, Shayne Miller.
