Incoming Member for Murray Helen Dalton said she'd be prepared to work with the Coalition after it became clear she would not have the balance of power in parliament.
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The aftermath of the 2019 NSW election saw a significant swing away from The Nationals in several key seats including Murray, but not enough to strip the Coalition of their majority.
With a two seat majority in parliament, the government should be able to comfortably pass most legislation without having to negotiate with the minor parties on the crossbench.
That throws a wrench in Mrs Dalton's plans, since she had been looking forward to holding the balance of power in a hung parliament.
Early polling had indeed predicted a hung parliament for NSW, but come election day the Coalition managed to hold onto a 48 seat majority with 35 Liberal and 13 National seats.
This will be a blow for the minor parties like the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, who will have significantly reduced bargaining power as a result.
But Mrs Dalton said she remains optimistic about the future, saying she'd be willing to work with a NSW Government run by Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
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"Gladys Berejiklian says she's governing for the whole of NSW, not just Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong," Mrs Dalton said.
"Obviously there's been a clear message that we're feeling neglected, so she's saying the right things. I'm encouraged by that and am very keen to work with her to get the results out here."
Mrs Dalton said she'd even be willing to support the government's city-based projects if it didn't come at the expense of the seat of Murray.
"There will be trade-offs, but I'm absolutely not willing to trade off our area," Mrs Dalton said.
She said she will continue pursuing her election promises, which include getting more teachers into the region, building a new Griffith hospital in two years, and fixing the MIA's "water crisis".
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
