A snapshot of voters in the Ballina electorate
2007 is an election year, so Ballina Info went delving into the website http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/to find out a few facts about the people who make up the Ballina electorate. We’ll keep you up-to-date on who’s standing for election and so on as the election nears …
An estimated 42,000 people will vote in the Ballina electorate when the New South Wales State election is held on March 24.
The voters will live in the region from Yelgun in the north, south to Bagotville, and east from Wollongbar.
The median age of the electorate will be 40 years (the State’s top are Port Macquarie and Tweed, at 44 years).
The median income of voters is $305 per week. The State’s top is Sydney’s North Shore at $817 per week.
The unemployment rate for Ballina electorate is 11.8 per cent. The State’s top is Oxley at 15.8 per cent.
The median household size in the Ballina electorate is 3.1. The State’s top is 4.1 at Cabramatta and Smithfield.
In the Ballina electorate, 12.1 per cent of the total population were born overseas. The State’s top is Cabramatta at 59.9 per cent.
The electorate’s workforce is headed by retail at 17.9 per cent, followed by health and community services (11.7 per cent), education 9.5 per cent, property and business services (9.2 per cent) and accommodation, cafes and restaurants (8.7 per cent).
At the last poll (in 2003), 41,007 voted in the Ballina electorate.
Don Page, the sitting National Party Member since 1988, topped the primary vote with 21,127.
Country Labor’s Sue Dakin polled 10,668 votes. Next came The Greens’ Jan Barham on 8053.
On a two-party preferred basis, the Nationals/Liberal Coalition received 59.4 per cent of the vote. Labor received 40.6 per cent.
A swing of 9.5 per cent would be needed to unseat Mr Page.
