Bega heads to the polls this Saturday, February 12, in one of four NSW government by-elections taking place around the state.
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And that's the electorate of Bega as opposed to just the town.
The electorate stretches from the Victorian border south of Eden to just north of Batemans Bay - encompassing the entirety of the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla local government areas.
If you live anywhere in these two shires and are registered to vote, then there are several options.
Pre-polling has been available in a number of locations for the past fortnight and postal voting packs were mailed out to all homes in the region.
On February 12, polling booths will be open from 8am until voting closes at 6pm.
A complete list of polling locations can be found on the NSW Electoral Commission website here
There are seven candidates vying for the seat.
In ballot paper order they are:
Jeffrey Hawkins, Independent
Karin Geiselhart Sustainable Australia Party
Ursula Bennett, Independent
Michael Holland, Labor
Peter Haggar, Greens
Victor Hazir, Shooters Fishers and Farmers
Fiona Kotvojs, Liberal
Candidate Profiles
Introductions required
As well as the above interviews and profiles we've compiled on many of the candidates standing in this by-election, there were also multiple "campaign launch" events across the electorate.
Fiona Kotvojs used TAFE campuses - the new one at Bega and a proposed site at Batemans Bay - for her campaign launches. And Premier Dominic Perrottet also paid several visits to the district to add his backing for Andrew Constance's would-be successor.
Meanwhile, Labor's Michael Holland took a more low-key approach to announcing the approach made by Labor and his candidacy, but has certainly been on the hustings since - particularly campaigning on the issues of local health services.
Question time
Australian Community Media has been busy reaching out to candidates for their views on several key topics and questions being posed in the electorate.
Candidates have also been busy taking a stand and a photo op on many topics they feel could tip the scales in their favour this weekend.
There's the issue of development and commercialisation within our national parks like at Ben Boyd NP south of Eden.
That developer contributions need to be kept in balance so as to support councils while also not discouraging developers from doing their thing.
There were big ticket items like the environment and climate change covered in an online candidates forum hosted by the Nature Conservation Council. Click here to watch it back in full.
The Teachers Federation also weighed in, saying public schools and TAFEs across NSW were being failed by government and while not encouraging a vote to any side in particular, said the by-election allowed voters "to send a clear message" that public education deserved better.
Health and housing availability and affordability have also been high on the agenda, and the subject of many a Ministerial visit in the past fortnight.
The Premier also turned the first sod on a new police station for Bega. Although funding was committed two years ago, what better time to reaffirm those funds - even add to them - than an election campaign.
What's in a name?
As stated earlier, the Bega electorate covers the Eurobodalla and Bega Valley shires and stretches some 250km from north to south.
The Greens have suggested a new name is needed that represents more than just the town of the same name.
Regardless, in its current form it has existed since 1988 and has been held by the Liberal Party ever since - first by Russell Smith (1988-2003) and then Andrew Constance (2003-2021).
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Mr Constance, who is now aiming for a federal seat. IN turn, his would-be successor Fiona Kotvojs has stepped back from her previous narrow defeats at a federal level to make a run for state.
In the 2019 state election, Mr Constance won with a margin of 6.9 per cent, but has had to survive swings against the Liberals to Labor in both 2015 (10.3 per cent) and again in 2019 (1.3 per cent).
Given much of the Liberal vote in the federal election for Eden-Monaro centred on Queanbeyan, several commentators are saying the party's lock on the coastal state seat can no longer be considered secure.
Polls close at 6pm on February 12. However eligible postal votes will not be included in the count until February 19, so if the result is looking tight, Bega is in for a bit of a wait before a final result is determined.
We will keep you posted.
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