ID :
167154
Thu, 03/10/2011 - 11:59
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/167154
The shortlink copeid
Coalition wins top spot, nudist wins PR
SYDNEY, March 10 (AAP) - The NSW coalition, which is on track to win government later this month, has drawn the prime position on the ballot paper for the upper house.
Electoral Commissioner Colin Barry on Thursday conducted the draw for group and independent candidates, leaving the Liberal/Nationals in Group A and on the far left hand side of the paper.
It's considered the best spot because most voters read the ballot paper from left to right and thus it could boost the coalition's chances of getting control of the Legislative Council in the March 26 poll.
The Liberals already hold 10 spots in the upper house and the Nationals five, against 19 for Labor.
The ballot paper measures just under 90cm in width and is the shape of a small coffee table.
The first name voters will see in Group A is Liberal candidate Mike Gallacher, the opposition police spokesman.
He is followed by the Nationals' Duncan Gay, the industry shadow, and Greg Pearce, who oversees financial management and housing strategy.
The Group A ticket carries 15 names, against 18 for Labor's Group H position, seven columns away.
As expected, Treasurer Eric Roozendaal heads Labor's upper house ticket despite union moves to dislodge him from the top spot.
Elsewhere on the ballot paper, former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's group of independents take the mid-ranking Group J.
It is one of a total of 16 groups, and there is one column of ungrouped candidates.
Anti-corruption campaigner John Hatton's group of independents fared better, taking Group C, just behind the No Parking Meters Party.
Outside the draw room in Sydney, Ms Hanson said she was disappointed at being placed in Group J.
"Everyone would have clearly loved box A," she said.
"It's a little bit harder for people such as myself, who don't have a name above the line where the group names are, but that's what political parties do. They make it harder for us."
Meanwhile, the Christian Democratic Party, led by the Reverend Fred Nile, landed Group F, followed by Gordon Moyes' Family First in Group G and the Greens in Group I.
The outcome was good news for the coalition, but the biggest surprise of the draw came from an independent candidate.
As Mr Barry began calling out the order of the ungrouped independent candidates, Stuart Baanstra, wearing a robe and a bow tie bearing the Australian flag, threw off his garment.
He was swiftly bundled out of the room before anyone could get a good look. He later revealed he had been wearing a black g-string.
Mr Baanstra, carrying a sign saying "nude is not rude", said he was a nudist and gay man who "believes in the rights of people to live without clothes".
Ms Hanson said Mr Baanstra's action was an expression of freedom.
"I suppose they say freedom of speech, well, it's freedom of expression, isn't it?
"Who am I to criticise anything?
"He had a point to put forward, he attempted and failed," she said.
Electoral Commissioner Colin Barry on Thursday conducted the draw for group and independent candidates, leaving the Liberal/Nationals in Group A and on the far left hand side of the paper.
It's considered the best spot because most voters read the ballot paper from left to right and thus it could boost the coalition's chances of getting control of the Legislative Council in the March 26 poll.
The Liberals already hold 10 spots in the upper house and the Nationals five, against 19 for Labor.
The ballot paper measures just under 90cm in width and is the shape of a small coffee table.
The first name voters will see in Group A is Liberal candidate Mike Gallacher, the opposition police spokesman.
He is followed by the Nationals' Duncan Gay, the industry shadow, and Greg Pearce, who oversees financial management and housing strategy.
The Group A ticket carries 15 names, against 18 for Labor's Group H position, seven columns away.
As expected, Treasurer Eric Roozendaal heads Labor's upper house ticket despite union moves to dislodge him from the top spot.
Elsewhere on the ballot paper, former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's group of independents take the mid-ranking Group J.
It is one of a total of 16 groups, and there is one column of ungrouped candidates.
Anti-corruption campaigner John Hatton's group of independents fared better, taking Group C, just behind the No Parking Meters Party.
Outside the draw room in Sydney, Ms Hanson said she was disappointed at being placed in Group J.
"Everyone would have clearly loved box A," she said.
"It's a little bit harder for people such as myself, who don't have a name above the line where the group names are, but that's what political parties do. They make it harder for us."
Meanwhile, the Christian Democratic Party, led by the Reverend Fred Nile, landed Group F, followed by Gordon Moyes' Family First in Group G and the Greens in Group I.
The outcome was good news for the coalition, but the biggest surprise of the draw came from an independent candidate.
As Mr Barry began calling out the order of the ungrouped independent candidates, Stuart Baanstra, wearing a robe and a bow tie bearing the Australian flag, threw off his garment.
He was swiftly bundled out of the room before anyone could get a good look. He later revealed he had been wearing a black g-string.
Mr Baanstra, carrying a sign saying "nude is not rude", said he was a nudist and gay man who "believes in the rights of people to live without clothes".
Ms Hanson said Mr Baanstra's action was an expression of freedom.
"I suppose they say freedom of speech, well, it's freedom of expression, isn't it?
"Who am I to criticise anything?
"He had a point to put forward, he attempted and failed," she said.
