Malcolm Turnbull s pumped hydro venture in the Upper Hunter theland.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theland.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The government risked losing its majority and the pressure was on Labor to win Upper Hunter for the first time. Working-class voters in Muswellbrook and Singleton, in the centre of the electorate, had helped Labor build up its vote to nearly 30%, making the seat winnable.
However, Labor’s Jeff Drayton, a Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) official, failed to get traction on his strongly pro-coal platform, polling just over 21%.
The drop in Labor’s vote is comparable to the 13% won by anti-coal independents.
Kirsty O’Connell, supported by former Prime Minister now climate activist Malcolm Turnbull, polled 9% and Tracey Norman, former mayor of Dungog in the east of the electorate, won 4%.
The fall in Labor’s vote in the Upper Hunter by-election underscores the collapse of its support in key working class areas, after decades of implementing the dictates of the corporate elite.