Provest wins fifth term

By Yvonne Gardiner

RE-ELECTED MEMBER for Tweed

Geoff Provest will sit on the NSW Opposition benches for the first time in 12 years when he returns to Parliament, in one of the closet races for Tweed in a decade.

He is being urged to work co-operatively with the new Minns Labor government in his fifth term to achieve the best outcomes for the Tweed.

Mr Provest has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the Tweed since March 2007 when he took Labor’s most marginal seat.

As Member for Tweed, he counts as achievements the delivery of the new Tweed Valley Hospital, increasing police numbers, fire and ambulance stations, the koala rehabilitation facility and more than 200 hectares of new habitat for koalas.

During the campaign Mr Provest said the three main concerns for Tweed residents were cost of living pressures, health care, and preserving the Tweed’s unique beautiful environment.

“I feel very humble that the people of the Tweed have put their faith in myself,” he told The Weekly.

“We’ve been delivering for the Tweed. It’s all about reality and delivery. We’ve promised and we’ve delivered.”

Mr Provest said he spent four years in Opposition in 2007-11 and proved that he could still achieve when not in government “I’ve got the experience to do that. I tend to treat people with respect,” he said. “I’d like to pay tribute to the other candidates. Campaigning is an arduous and unforgiving process.”

On election day, Mr Provest was disap- pointed with the distribution of “misinformation” that put fear into voters’ minds, such as the supposed shutting down of a fire station.

At close of counting on Tuesday night with 43,574 (75.6%) votes counted, Mr Provest had snared 18,558 (44.2%) of the first preference vote.

Labor’s Craig Elliot won 13,096 (31.2%) first preference votes, while The Greens’ Ciara Denham claimed 4,855 (11.6%).

On a two-candidate preferred basis, Mr Provest stood at 19,970 (53.7%) votes and was declared re-elected, while Mr Elliot mustered 17,228 (46.3%) of the vote counted.

Mr Provest was leading by 2,742 votes on Monday night, despite a 3.3% swing against him. The swing to the ALP was 0.2%.

Tweed Labor candidate Craig Elliot, who was unsuccessful at his second attempt to unseat Mr Provest, urged the re-elected MP to work co-operatively with the new Labor government of NSW.

“I think overwhelmingly voters in NSW voted for a positive change,” Mr Elliot said.

“For those people who voted Labor, I thank them. It’s a very positive outcome from my perspective.

“It means so much for the Tweed. It’s a fantastic outcome for NSW.

“The next four years is about what a Minns Labor government can deliver for the Tweed.

“Frontline services under the Nationals weren’t getting a fair go.

“I look forward to Chris Minns being Premier; he’s a decent person.”

Mr Elliot paid tribute to the other Tweed candidates.

“I’d like to acknowledge the Greens candidate (Ciara Denham) and Susie Hearder from the Animal Justice Party.

“We had respectful engagements. They’re all good people.

“It’s been an absolute honour and privilege to be a Labor candidate.

“On election day, we had lots and lots of people volunteering from Labor.

“There can only be one successor.”

Asked if he will put his hand up for election again in 2027: “No one ever says no,” Mr Elliot said.

He told The Weekly that Labor commitments made during the election campaign would stand, in particular the new high school at Pottsville.

Mr Provest said Labor had allocated no money for the high school.

“My concern is that it never appeared in any Labor Budget papers,” he said.

The re-elected Member for Tweed is not hankering for any particular role in the Opposition ranks.

“My role is to represent the people of the Tweed, that’s the number one,” he said. *Follow the vote-counting on the NSW Electoral Commission website.