Rodney Stevens and Emma Pritchard, Clarence Valley Independent
Richie Williamson has retained the seat of Clarence for the Nationals following the 2023 State Election.
As he celebrated his success surrounded by his friends, family, and loyal supporters at his Grafton Campaign Office on March 25, Mr Williamson said he felt proud and honoured to be elected as the incoming Member for Clarence following the retirement of Chris Gulaptis, who served in the role for 11 years.
Mr Williamson said it was around 7:30pm, less than two hours after voting closed on Saturday, that he sensed success, adding it was “pretty evident the votes of confidence in the Nationals was strong”, as the first papers from the bigger regional polling booths started to be counted.
While the 2023 State Election was a landslide victory for Labor, who ended 12 years of the coalition being in power, Mr Williamson reaffirmed his commitment to the people of the Clarence electorate and said he will work just as hard for them as a member of the opposition.
“I congratulate the new Premier of NSW Chris Minns, and his government, and I look forward to working with them to ensure we get our fair share, not just in the Clarence Valley, but also for the Nationals in regional communities across the state,” he said.
Mr Williamson said his party had run a well-disciplined, well-funded, and well supported campaign for the seat of Clarence.
Despite an initial swing of -2.15 percent against the Nationals as the first votes were counted over the weekend, Mr Williamson said he expected the number to decrease as more votes are tallied.
“I think the people within the electorate understand what the Nationals have delivered in the past, and they are looking forward to a similar outcome in the next term,” he said.
When asked to name his first appointments as the incoming Member for Clarence, Mr Williamson reconfirmed his commitment to delivering the redevelopment of Grafton Base Hospital (GBH), and provide much-needed support to residents severely impacted by the natural disasters which have devastated the region.
Following his first campaign as a Labor candidate during the 2023 State Election, Leon Ankersmit is remaining positive after achieving a small swing against the Nationals for the first time in Clarence in several campaigns.
“I think we ran a really strong campaign, and we can see that there is a result from our campaign, the needle has shifted, and for the first time in several campaigns we have made a gain for Labor,” he said.
“It’s a small gain, but we’re happy with that.”
Mr Ankersmit also congratulated the newly elected Member for Clarence.
“I wish Richie all the best with the task that he has ahead, it’s a massive job and I want to see him succeed because we want to see the district succeed,” he said.
Mr Ankersmit said he is not ruling out running again for Clarence.
This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 29 March 2023.
