Gash vows to keep up effort

KATINA CURTIS
THE voters of Gilmore have returned Liberal MP Joanna Gash to parliament, although she has conceded the next election will be “totally different” since her margin was greatly reduced.
There was a swing against Mrs Gash of just over 6 per cent, mirroring the nationwide swing towards the Labor Party. This has made Gilmore a marginal seat for the next election.
“We have to realise the people have spoken and we need to listen to that and work with that,” she said.
Mrs Gash said she was very conscious of the reduced majority, saying: “We need to concentrate on our strengths to make sure we succeed, not just for Joanna Gash but for the people of Gilmore.”
She described her win as bittersweet since the Coalition is no longer in government, but said she intended to make sure the Labor Government kept the commitments her opponent Neil Reilly made during the campaign.
She also intended to still lobby for commitments she had made, such as for CCTV cameras in Kiama.
“I have a good working relationship with some of my colleagues on the other side and I intend to keep that,” she said.
“I’ll be knocking on the new (justice) Minister’s door and making sure he’s still aware of these programs.”
Mr Reilly said he, too, would use his contacts to ensure Gilmore was well served by the new Government.
“(Mrs Gash) isn’t irrelevant, but I’ll certainly be making sure a Rudd Labor Government doesn’t forget Gilmore,” he said.
He intended to run for Gilmore again in the next federal election, or in any by-election before then, and said he would work to retain the community profile he had built during the past six months.
He said he was very pleased with having reduced the margin by two-thirds and that it would “make things easier next time around”.
Mrs Gash and Mr Reilly thanked everyone who had worked with them during the campaign.