As voters prepare to go to the polls on March 25, we have compiled a rundown of candidates in all five electorates which cover the Central Coast.
Candidates are profiled in the order in which they appear on the ballot paper.
Brief videos were received from some candidates, see below.
Gosford
Hilary van Haren, The Greens
Hilary van Haren is a lawyer, mother and community volunteer with a commitment to social justice.
After leaving a career in the State Government, she is committed to working alongside not-for-profits and grassroots organisations to make sure politicians act in the interests of the community.
Her focus for this election is on social and affordable housing and recognising that everyone has a right to a safe and secure place to call home.
Deanna Bocking, Liberal Party
Deanna Bocking’s main focuses are on growing the economy to create secure and well-paying jobs so we can pay for the services we need without paying more taxes.
She hopes to reduce pressures on household budgets while building the foundations for financial security.
She believes in investing in frontline services for the long-term, hiring more doctors, nurses and teachers, building for the future with major infrastructure projects coming online, continuing to invest in the roads, rail, schools and hospitals and empowering local communities.
Liesl Tesch, Labor Party
Liesl Tesch has held the seat of Gosford since the 2017 by-election.
She was a school teacher for 20 years and represented Australia at seven Paralympic Games.
“If re-elected, Labor will tackle the rising of cost of living by providing energy rebates, capping tolls and ending the wage cap,” she said.
“We will also end the sell-off of our public assets, resuscitate our health and hospital systems by employing more nurses and will fix the teachers shortage in our schools.”
Tesch is passionate about ensuring that all Australians receive a world-class education, safeguarding the protection of the natural environment and providing equal access to Medicare.
Ineka Soetens, Sustainable Australia Party
Not available for comment
Lisa Bellamy, Independent
Lisa Bellamy is a long-time resident of the Gosford area and no stranger to the challenges of everyday life.
“I decided to run in this election, not because I thought I could win, but to get some action from our sitting MP on environmental issues,” she said.
“However, since starting this campaign I realise I can lend my voice to other community challenges.
“I believe we need local solutions for local issues.
“Let’s empower locals to have a say and have some actual influence over decision making.”
Emily McCallum, Animal Justice Party
Emily McCallum said if elected her first priority would be to launch a campaign pushing for better management of Government funds, redirecting away from select industries and back into the community and infrastructure.
“I will push for Veticare (like Medicare for pets) including free desexing, stronger environmental protections and transitioning away from using shark nets to more effective and less destructive methods of protecting human life,” she said.
“I will advocate for affordable housing that balances protecting our precious environment with sustaining local industries.”
Larry Freeman, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers
Not available for comment.
Terrigal
Wayne Rigg, Sustainable Australia Party
Wayne Rigg is running to “de-corrupt politics in NSW and implement sustainable solutions for our future”.
“I want to protect our environment, stop over-development and stop corruption,” he said.
“This includes: protecting endangered species habitats, native forests and tree canopies; reducing waste production; acting on climate change; stopping inappropriate high-rise and sprawl; delivering community infrastructure before housing; stabilising population size; transparent reporting of political donations and lobbying; and banning political donations from big business and unions.”
Adam Crouch, Liberal
Adam Crouch said he was proud of the things the State Government had achieved during his eight-year term including: supporting more than 40,000 Central Coast seniors with the $250 Regional Seniors Travel Card (recently extended to support apprentices and university students); upgrades at most train stations across the Coast; introducing express bus services; trialling a hydrogen-powered bus; enhancing the public transport network; Terrigal Boardwalk; and the Palliative Care Unit at Gosford Hospital, with Wyong soon to follow.
“Choose strong leadership with a real long-term plan to tackle the economic challenges ahead, and together, let’s keep NSW moving forward,” he said.
Imogen da Silva, The Greens
Imogen da Silva is an activist, academic and author and a proud and passionate member of the Central Coast dog walking community.
She came to politics after a successful campaign to reverse Council’s decision on beach access for dogs and has seen first-hand the power of the community to achieve positive change.
She wants to see democracy returned to the Central Coast.
She is passionate about good quality local services and opportunities for all people, especially young people, to thrive in our community.
Sam Boughton, Labor Party
Sam Boughton says NSW has gone backwards under the Liberal/National government.
“Healthcare, education and the environment are all in crisis,” he said.
“Privatisation has led to increased cost of living.
“I want to be part of turning this around, but I also want to listen to the Central Coast community and fight for the local issues affecting them.
“Things like the dangerous flooding on Oak Rd, the proposed sea wall at Wamberal, and the intersection between Wards Hill Rd and Empire Bay Dr.
“The community feels like they’ve been ignored on these issues and more; it’s time for a fresh start.”
Wyong
Matthew Squires
Squires’ name will still appear on the ballot paper for the Liberal Party despite the NSW Liberal Party dumping him as its candidate last week.
NB: The NSW Electoral Commission says that ballot papers show the names of all candidates and any nominating parties at the close of nominations. Under the Electoral Act, a candidate is not permitted to withdraw after nominations have closed or change to being an independent. If a party decides to withdraw its support for a candidate after the close of nominations, both the candidate’s and party’s names must still appear together on the ballot paper. The status of votes for a candidate is not affected by a party’s decision to withdraw its support. Votes will not become informal for that reason.
Doug Williamson, The Greens
Williamson is a former teacher, proud union representative, activist and volunteer.
He wants to see genuine action on climate change, which would transform Wyong into a renewables powerhouse, transitioning the current workforce and creating sustainable jobs for young people, delivering on The Greens commitment to end coal and gas by 2030.
He thinks politics in NSW needs a shake-up.
“With more Greens in the Parliament we can stop the major parties putting the interests of big corporate donors ahead of the community,” he said.
Susan Newbury, Sustainable Australia Party
Newbury said she was running with the Sustainable Australia Party because it was an independent community movement with a science and evidence-based policy platform, fighting to protect our environment, stop over-development and stop corruption.
“I am concerned that the haphazard nature of over-development on the Central Coast has seen a lack of proportionate infrastructure and the deterioration of the local environment – for example, the siltation of the Tuggerah Lakes system has been accelerated by land clearing and reclamation of wetlands for housing,” she said.
“I believe that protecting our environment must be prioritised in any future developments.”
David Harris, Labor Party
Harris has been the Member for Wyong since 2015 (and previously 2007-11).
If re-elected he said he would work to deliver: widening of Pacific Hwy through Wyong and Wyong station upgrade plus parking; palliative care unit at Wyong Hospital; safety traffic audit near MacKillop Catholic College at Warnervale; planning for improved public secondary education in Warnervale district; $3.7M in the next term to improve access to sport facilities and programs on the Coast; more funding for footpaths and road repairs.
He will work towards improving staffing levels at Wyong Hospital through Labor’s Safe Staffing Commitment and investigate forming Central Coast Regional Parklands.
Martin Stevenson, One Nation
Not available for comment
The Entrance
Georgia Lamb, Sustainable Australia Party
Lamb says she will fight to protect the environment, stop over-development and stop corruption.
“In particular, I will reform the NSW planning system to return real powers to local communities, through a democratically elected Council,” she said.
“Importantly, the community’s needs should always come before powerful vested interests. I value equality. Justice for all, including the environment, is part of who I am.
“Sustainable Australia Party is an independent community movement with a science and evidence-based policy platform. We will fight to de-corrupt politics and implement sustainable policies.”
David Mehan, Labor Party
David Mehan has held the seat since 2015 and says with the community’s support, a great many improvements have been achieved – with more to be done.
“We need to now finish Tuggerah Station – work is progressing much too slowly (and) this project would never have commenced without our strong community campaign,” he said.
“We need to start work on the Pacific Hwy’s ‘missing link’ at Narara; finish the Gosford Bypass; help Council build the affordable housing it has planned for the electorate; and Labor will fund a huge boost in footpath construction, upgrade playgrounds and I’ll make sure Long Jetty hospital gets the upgrade the community wants.
Fardin Pelarek, Animal Justice Party
Pelarek opposes development of Pep-11 gas lines, which he says would be devastating to our ocean and marine life, while increasing emissions and accelerating climate change.
“I want the archaic shark nets pulled from beaches and money invested in non-fatal shark mitigation techniques and I want our local waterways and bushlands cleaned-up,” he said.
“Ghost fishing gear and human waste (are) polluting our local ecosystems, impacting the birds, marine and wildlife that are forced to live amongst it.
“I want to establish free de-sexing programs to help counter the crisis of homeless animals in the area, as well as introducing AJP’s initiative Veticare, making veterinary care accessible to all.”
Nathan Bracken, Liberal Party
Bracken will champion The Entrance and support small businesses, families and retirees, address the cost of living and deliver the services and facilities the community needs.
“I’m particularly proud to recently announce the Liberals $1.6M investment at Long Jetty Health Care Centre and their Kids Future Fund,” he said.
“I have a long association with many charitable causes including Beyond Blue, Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, Variety Children’s Charity, Central Coast Give Me Five for Kids, Royal Flying Doctors and the McGrath Foundation and … regularly (participate) in coaching children in regional Australia to develop grass roots cricket.”
Ralph Stephenson, The Greens
Stephenson is well-known as a committed teacher and advocate for high-quality public education for all children.
He wants to see free TAFE, so young people in the region have more choices about their future.
“The Greens education policy will push up wages for our exhausted public school teachers and make sure schools can give kids the education they need to thrive,” he said.
Stephenson, who has lived at Bateau Bay for 40 years, is also a lover of all things ecological, and volunteers at the Terrigal Marine Centre. He wants to see greater protections for our bushland and marine environments and immediate action to respond to climate change.
Bentley Logan, Liberal Democrats
Not available for comment
Swansea
Alan Ellis, Sustainable Australia Party
Ellis is campaigning to protect the environment, stop high-rise over-development and sprawl and stop corruption.
“If elected, I would seek community infrastructure investment into the Swansea electorate to stop it being the poor relation of Lake Macquarie,” he said.
“I would advocate for wider and improved footpaths for safer walking and on top of this, encourage outdoor dining; identify a site for an outdoor music bowl; complete a walking track from Nords Wharf to Swansea; build a jetty at Cams Wharf Rd boat ramp and improve Swansea Bridge.
“The proliferation of gambling is another concern of mine, so I would implement stricter controls on gambling advertising.”
Heather Foord, The Greens
“I’m passionate about social justice and tired of seeing people fall through the cracks, whether it be in the struggle to find work, access to mental health services or receive adequate living allowances and pensions – people need better support, particularly our most vulnerable,” Foord said.
“I am focussed on campaigning to fight the climate crisis; we need a rapid reduction in carbon emissions and support for workers with training and incentives to take up jobs in emerging clean energy industries as coal and gas reliant jobs decline.
“We need increased investment in public education, respect and value for First Nations peoples, and I’ll continue to advocate for continual support for the creative arts industry.”
Megan Anderson, Liberal Party
Not available for comment
Yasmin Catley, Labor Party
Catley has been the local Member of Parliament since 2015 and a lifelong campaigner for social justice, better public services and workers’ rights.
“I am passionate and focussed on ensuring our schools and hospitals get a fair deal and our economy is strong so local people have the best opportunity to get a job,” she said.
In 2020 Catley introduced the NSW Jobs First Bill into State Government and strongly believes “we should be increasing employment in our state by boosting manufacturing and social and professional services, incentivising locally manufactured materials and locally delivered services”.
She has consistently opposed privatisation.
Paul Jackson, Liberal Democrats
Not available for comment.
Terry Collins and Sue Murray