Sausages sizzled and cakes were snapped up as voters turned out in force to cast their state election ballot.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
An early morning trickle into Goulburn booths turned into a literal flood by 11am when the skies opened and a long queue huddled under Bradfordville Public School's shelter.
READ MORE:
Students running a cake stall did a roaring trade, while voters warmed up with a sausage sizzle, raising money for a school shade sail.
The race for the seat of Goulburn is expected to be tight. Liberal, Wendy Tuckerman, holds the electorate by a 3.1pc margin. This has narrowed over the last two state elections when Labor's Dr Ursula Stephens ran.
The party's candidate, Michael Pilbrow, is hoping to make history this time around. Labor last held the seat in 1965.
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate, Andy Wood, The Greens, Gregory-John Olsen, and Sustainable Australia Party candidate, Margaret Logan, are offering alternatives.
Voters had mixed views. They were either taking or shunning voting material.
At Goulburn Scout Hall, Errol Noack said he'd made up his mind "a long time ago."
"I'm voting Liberal," he said.
"The Labor Party is disorganised and it's obvious to everyone. A lot of people are looking for freebies and collecting money from the government for nothing."
He also decried the noise complaints that had "shut down Wakefield Park raceway and affected people's livelihoods."
But Goulburn man, Mark White, declared he was voting Labor.
"I'm a teacher and I want to get rid of the wages cap and stop the under-funding," he said.
Nearby, Goulburn Teachers Federation president, Cara Robinson, was campaigning for the same cause.
"We have a massive teacher shortage exacerbated by the pandemic," she said.
"...Wages have been frozen for 11 years and we can't attract or retain teachers. The kids are missing out...We've turned our (issues) into an election campaign but we're not telling people who to vote for."
Labor Party member of 13 years, Helen Rainger, said many voters in Goulburn hadn't made up their mind.
"(But) we are getting some positive signals from people, giving the thumbs up," she said.
Liberal party member and former Goulburn branch president, Grant Pearce, predicted the race would be "very close."
"Some people are diving in for leaflets and others seem to have done their homework," he said.
"About 40 per cent of people at pre-poll knew how they were voting.
"This is Wendy's first run since she her election in 2019. I think she's done some great things and deserves to be returned with an increased margin. But that's up to the voters."
Mr Pearce branded the campaign by the Fire Brigade and Employees Union as "a disgrace." The movement is urging people to put the Liberals last as it lobbies for more firefighters and 'better' infrastructure.
At the Wesley Centre booth, voter Joy Ellis said she was voting Labor because she wanted more teachers and higher pay for the profession.
"I'm a former teacher and I know today they have a higher workload. They also need more administration staff to take the load off them," she said.
Mrs Ellis told The Post she liked the fact party leader, Chris Minns, had so many women on his team.
In addition, she and husband, Keith, also wanted to see Wakefield Park re-opened.
Cost of living and road conditions were weighing on Ian Gordon's mind.
"I have a feeling Liberal and Labor are going for the same things, that is getting more money for Goulburn and re-opening Wakefield Park," he said.
"(But) I think Labor will win. People are talking about change and it's resonating with locals."
Meantime, at Bradfordville booth, Heather Pratt vowed to support Wendy Tuckerman.
"I thought hard about my choice and made up my mind on Friday," she said.
"I'm voting for Wendy, not the Liberals, because I think the (federal) party leaders are so disrespectful to women. The way they treated (Prime Minister) Julia Gillard was disgusting.
"(PM) Anthony Albanese and (foreign minister) Penny Wong present as a team and I think the Liberals should take a leaf out of their book."
A total 17,976 of the electorate's 57,599 voters had lodged an early ballot by Friday afternoon.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark our website
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Google News
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters