The Greens have broken through into the NSW lower house with a historic victory by Jamie Parker in the seat of Balmain.
Mr Parker, the Mayor of Leichhardt, finished second on primary votes behind the Liberal candidate James Falk and in front of the former Labor member Verity Firth.
It is expected that when Labor preferences are distributed Mr Parker will win by a margin of several thousand votes.
ABC News: Greens Claim Historic Lower House Victory
In this election the Greens achieved their highest ever vote in both the upper and lower houses.
Mr Parker said:
“This is a historic win for the Greens, gaining their first ever lower house seat in the NSW parliament. Our vote has continued to grow, our supporter base continues to grow and our membership has also grown strongly. There is no doubt that the Greens are being seen by an increasing number of people as a credible alternative to the two parties who have held power for so long”.
“This is a victory for voters looking for real change who believe that social justice and the environment should be at the heart of politics, not just an afterthought”.
“I congratulate all of the candidates in this election in Balmain, particularly James Falk who achieved a significant increase in the Liberal vote. I would like to thank the former member Verity Firth for her work on behalf of this community and I wish Verity and her family the best of luck in the future”.
“I would also like to acknowledge the great work of my campaign team and all of the hundreds of supporters whose time and effort made this possible. It is those people who deserve this victory and I thank them sincerely”.
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Congratulations Jamie!!
Well done Greens and Jamie! Now show NSW people that the Greens is another party options and not some stereotype view being a looney party.
Congratulations Jamie and the whole team. This is a sensational result and I have only a small idea of how hard you worked. Will be wonderful to have a Green voice in the lower house. Proud to be Green!