BOOTH victories in traditional Labor heartlands including Lithgow and South Bathurst were the rare bright spots for the party on another fairly black night in Calare on Saturday.
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Jess Jennings’ second campaign as the Labor candidate produced just a small swing in his favour on a night when the Labor Party exceeded all expectations across the nation.
Dr Jennings secured 27 per cent of the primary votes across Calare, but polled strongest in the eastern areas of the electorate.
He conceded the rusted-on Nationals support further west in the electorate was making Calare a forlorn proposition for Labor at this stage but indicated he would be happy to run again.
“There are some positives there with a small swing of two to three per cent towards us which is nice but I would like to have seen somewhere around five,” Dr Jennings said on Sunday.
“Having said that, though, there really were some strong positives for Labor to take out of it, both locally and nationally.
“At last count Labor had won about 10 booths outright across Calare, particularly around Lithgow, and we were neck and neck in some of the Bathurst booths.
“But the reality is the remaining two-thirds or so of this electorate is pretty hard-core conservative.”
Dr Jennings said his Nationals opponent Andrew Gee’s high profile around Orange had made his job even more difficult.
“I’ve generally done well where the people have known me, obviously in Bathurst [where he has served as a councillor] and I’ve had a fair bit to do with Lithgow,” he said.
“But I didn’t have much of a connection with Orange and that’s no surprise when Andrew Gee had been the state member there.
“It appears the cost of a state by-election, his dysfunctional relationship with the council there and saying one thing while doing another on council amalgamations has not hurt him too much.”
Dr Jennings said he was still interested in running again in Calare and might also run again for council once a proposed amalgamation between Bathurst and Oberon had been finalised either way.
However, he would first need clarification on whether he would be able to contest a future federal election while serving as a councillor before making a final decision.
“I always thought I would like to contest three elections [in Calare] and after that I guess I’ll look at where I am,” he said.
“I like local government but I’m most interested in the formation of national policies. I just like to see communities working to achieve good outcomes.”
