The voters of Port Stephens could hold the key to the ballot box as the two major political parties scramble for votes in the countdown to the March 23 state election.
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The seat is held by Labor's Kate Washington by a 4.7 per cent margin after overthrowing the Liberals' decade long hold on the seat at the 2015 state election with a massive 19.4 per cent swing.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, visiting the electorate for the fourth time since the preselection of Jaimie Abbott as Liberal candidate, did not mix her words when assessing the situation in Port Stephens and the impact on the result could have on determining the government.
"If Jaimie Abbott is not elected in Port Stephens I don't think we will be in government," she told the Examiner. "The election hinges in part on Port Stephens … this is one of the seats we are happy to win back.
"Look at the great things we have done in the area since being in government … when the Labor Party was in government nothing happened."
The rhetoric failed to impress sitting member Kate Washington, who retorted: "If the Premier is relying on her government's track record in Port Stephens to return to government then she is in serious trouble".
"[This government] has failed to keep their promises on a number of issues ... the full duplication of Nelson Bay Road, a shovel-ready Medowie high school and the sell-off of Mambo Wetlands when both the community and I begged them not to do so."
Ms Washington said her government would focus on education and health spending instead of sporting stadiums, with the promise of air-conditioning in every classroom in NSW, fixing the maintenance backlog and ensuring nursing numbers and nurse to patient ratios.
"I believe the people of Port Stephens will judge me on my record [over the past four years] and my genuine care for this community. I do as I say I will do."
In announcing a $7 million TAFE package for Nelson Bay - dependent on the Liberals being returned to government - and a $13,000 solar panels grant for Raymond Terrace Men's Shed, Ms Berejiklian continued her frenetic pace on the Port hustings.
Both announcements featured Ms Abbott prominently - as did the $55 million Mentally Healthy Workplaces Strategy grant issued by Minister Matt Kean and held at Williamtown Airport on the following Monday.
The TAFE announcement has been particularly controversial, drawing claims and counter claims from both sides of politics.
"People from Nelson Bay will have access to the training they need to get a job and get ahead with a new, state-of-the-art TAFE campus ... driving a massive expansion of TAFE’s footprint across regional NSW,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“TAFE campuses are the beating hearts of our regional communities and provide access to the education and training people need to get a job and get ahead."
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Ms Washington, in response, accused the government of "destroying TAFE in NSW".
"The Liberals have closed regional TAFE campuses in the Hunter. They have sacked 5,700 TAFE teachers and support staff. They have increased course fees by thousands of dollars, and now there are 175,000 fewer TAFE students in NSW."
Ms Washington added that "no land has been purchased, no site has been identified, no planning work has begun, and no timeline has been committed to … and to add insult to injury, they seem to be unaware that there is already a local TAFE".
In describing the TAFE announcement as "an absolute game-changer" for the people of Nelson Bay, Ms Abbott fired back. “It’s disappointing to see the Labor MP opposes plans to deliver a world-class TAFE campus for Nelson Bay that can deliver more courses for locals.
"The current TAFE presence in Tomaree is incredibly limited, operating out of just two rooms and offering only a handful of courses. It seems the Labor MP is content with this."
Tomaree Business Chamber president Leah Anderson said that a future TAFE facility would be an outstanding education asset for the Tomaree peninsula and would provide a much-needed economic boost to the Nelson Bay Town Centre, which has been struggling for some years to a large degree due to the ongoing expansion of the Salamander Bay business precinct.
“The chamber some time ago established a Tomaree Peninsula Tertiary Education Working Group which includes industry groups, educators and members of the community to reinforce the need for additional tertiary education.”
On the funding of a brand new solar power system for the Men’s Shed, Ms Abbott said that she was delighted to support the volunteer members who provide social connections and strong relationships to combat loneliness and build resilience in the male community.
