The Liberals trotted out big spending promises as part of a tightly fought campaign, the largest being a $120 million commitment to Goulburn Base Hospital.

On Monday, Cr Kettle said he was confident all of the pledges would be delivered as none were dependent on the poles and wires lease.

He told the Post the election result unfolded the way he expected.

“I’m very, very happy Pru was re-elected,” he said.

“As mayor it’s always easier to work with the government rather than the opposition.”

Cr Kettle welcomed the focus on Goulburn city and said with the Liberals’ Angus Taylor as Federal MP and Ms Goward at state level, the trio could continue to deliver major projects.

The former Goulburn Liberal Party branch president and Ms Goward’s campaign manager for her first two elections argued the party’s 26 per cent margin in the seat was “completely false” and was closer to seven to nine per cent.

He recalled the 2007 election in which Ms Goward lost every Goulburn booth. This time it was much more even, with the sitting MP capturing 3431 votes at the local booths to Labor’s Ursula Stephens on 3444.

However, Ms Goward was performing stronger in prepolls on Monday.

“Ursula did very well in Goulburn because it’s traditionally been Labor voting but she was also a strong, well known candidate,” Cr Kettle said.

“As expected, the conservative areas in the southwest and north of the electorate held up.”

Goulburn Mulwaree will cash in on election commitments including $600,000 to bring forward work on the Wollondilly walking trail, $153,000 for a mobile library, money to fix mobile blackspots, $150,000 for St Saviours Cathedral’s restoration and some $90,000 for St Clair. 

IN the former National Party territory, previously represented by The Nationals’ Katrina Hodgkinson, Upper Lachlan Shire Mayor John Shaw expected a much closer result.

“But the outcome was along the lines of what I thought. I expected Baird to get in because he’s a popular premier.”

Cr Shaw said his area had 16 years in which the State member was not in government and it made things “much harder.”

He did not believe conservative voters, aggrieved by Ms Hodgkinson’s decision not to contest the seat, had defected to Labor.

Ms Goward’s primary vote was well up on Dr Stephens’ in Crookwell and district and Gunning.

“It’s all pretty traditional (conservative),” Cr Shaw said.

“I know people were upset when the Nationals decided not to run. Katrina was a very popular representative and losing her hurt National Party members but in saying that, we will work with Pru and the coalition.”

Upper Lachlan did not score any election commitments. They all came before the poll announcement, including $3m for Crookwell water supply and up to $10m for the Crookwell to Bathurst Rd.

Despite no promises being made, Cr Shaw said he’d keep “knocking on the door” for funds for a new civic centre incorporating community meeting rooms and office facilities.

Moreover, his region would benefit from an upgraded Goulburn Base Hospital.

“It’s healthy to keep the seat marginal,” he said. 

YASS Valley Shire mayor Rowena Abbey is relishing the thought of more infrastructure for her region.

Ms Goward and Dr Stephens battled hard for the area which fell into the Goulburn electorate for the first time.

The coalition’s re-election means $8m for a hospital upgrade, $3.7m for a new ambulance station, money for the Barton Highway, $550,000 for the Murrumbateman Recreational Grounds and $6.3m to clear a backlog of water and sewer works, including a pipeline to Murrumbateman.

Labor had promised $25m for a primary school at Murrumbateman and $10m for an upgrade to Yass High School.

Cr Abbey believed the attention was healthy and “refreshing”.

“At the end of the day I expected Pru would probably win but it was pleasing to see Ursula get a good result from the perspective of how the region is viewed; that is, we had two good candidates running and we were seen as important,” she said.

The mayor acknowledged there might have been some National Party backlash at losing Ms Hodgkinson as the MP as she was well liked. But the government had made its decision and people had to live with it.

Cr Abbey told the Post she’d still be pushing for improvements to the High School, parts of which she described as “very old,” as well as other infrastructure.

“These are real issues for Yass Valley and our job is to keep in the face of government so they realise what our concerns are,” she said.