Morning, Tathra:
Tathra Public School was abuzz with colour and sound as the traditional election day markets welcomed voters to the school grounds.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Also greeting people as they filed through the gates were the how-to-vote-card distributors for Liberal, Country Labor and the Greens.
It wouldn't be an election without a fundraising cake stall and a barbecue running hot with sausages and burger patties.
Along with those tasty essentials there were numerous second-hand stalls, home-made products, arts and craft for sale and activities to keep children occupied while the grown-ups went inside to cast their vote.
The jumping castle was expected, but the picnic blanket piled high with Lego was a popular and unique touch.
The school's playground copped a good workout as well.
Mid-afternoon, Bega:
As the lunch rush died down and the people with the tongs attempted to sell off their final snags, Bega Valley Public School still had a trickle of voters popping in.
The flash of high-vis orange stood out as the card distributor for the Shooters and Fishers Party took his post alongside fellow Labor, Greens and Liberal volunteers.
Observations from those on the gate seemed to point to a voting public that had already made up their minds rather than leaving it to the how-to sheets for inspiration.
One voter's quote, relayed by a gate volunteer, was “I know who I'm going to vote for...unfortunately”.
Others apparently were only there to get their name crossed off, leaving without numbering any squares - what does that say about people's sense of the value and responsibility of their vote?
At Bega High School, there continued to be a steady flow of voters by 3pm – despite the cake stall selling out and moving on.
With another high-vis orange Shooters Party representative, there was also one for the No Land Tax party.
That they were being paid $30 an hour by the mysterious party rather than volunteering like all the others on the gate was a bit of a talking point.
Country Labor candidate Leanne Atkinson arrived to personally greet candidates – after earlier visiting polling stations in Eden and Merimbula.
She also cast her vote at the high school – where two of her sons attend and had earlier been handing out how-to cards for their mum.
Night, Bega:
Labor campaign headquarters visit by Ben Smyth
Country Labor campaign headquarters in Bega was a quiet and reflective space on Saturday night around 8pm as numbers began flowing in.
Candidate Leanne Atkinson could see the writing on the wall, despite there not being counts from the main centres in Bega and her home town of Tathra by that stage.
With 13,677 votes counted, she had 33.5% with sitting MP Andrew Constance of the Liberals 51.78%.
That margin continued to slide away from Labor as the night wore on.
“I won't win,” Ms Atkinson said.
“But any swing would be good – I would like a good swing so it shows people are not completely happy with Liberal policies.”
Ms Atkinson wasn't without some positivity.
“There was a very friendly atmosphere around the polling booths today,
“What was nice was all the volunteers were great – of all political persuasions.
“In terms of voters, compared to the 2011 election they were more responsive.
“I only had a six-week campaign in 2011 and I wasn't known.
“This time I've had longer, but we haven't had nearly the resources of Andrew Constance.”
Ms Atkinson then broke off to take a call from her scrutineer at the Bega High School count.
She had claimed 536 votes, Mr Constance 684.
Clyde Archard of the No Land Tax party had 22, Christian Democrat Ursula Bennett 26 and Greens candidate Margaret Perger 87, with 52 informal.
On two party preferred it was Mr Constance with 684 and Ms Atkinson on 602 - “that's not bad”.
Unfortunately, the scrutineer said many Greens voters hadn't numbered preferences on the Lower House ballot, meaning Ms Atkinson – and Mr Constance for that matter – would miss out on any boost once preferences were allocated.