that came from pollbludger’s write up of the member for Lukemba at the last election, it was no smear, it is factual.

He was a key adviser to Bob Carr and Morris Iemma, quite simply at least some blame can be placed on him

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/05/2590885.htm

And the Orkopoluos smear is just that. As Rees said at a recent community cabinet, if you think you know anything about that, call ICAC because it’s nothing to do with him. It’s disgusting that you’d smear a man by association without the slightest bit of proof like that.

Nathan Reece has worked over the years as an adviser to Health Ministers Craig Knowles and Morris Iemma, Premier Bob Carr and, most recently, disgraced Swansea MP Milton Orkopoulos. The latter connection came to haunt him two months after his preselection, when Orkopoulos was charged with offences including sex with boys aged between 10 and 18, sexual assault and supplying illegal drugs. Morris Iemma called Reece in to ask if he heard of the rumours surrounding Orkopoulos, which appeared to have been widespread in Hunter-area party circles.

60 – In his defence, Rees was only elected to Parliament in 2007. His cleanskin thing was a part of him getting the job. I think I’ve made my points re: Labor and Rees previously.

I am not saying the overall swing was as high as 10%. It won’t be. But there are some conventionally marginal seats sitting up around and above 10%. There are some others around that margin that wouldn’t go Liberal under any circumstances. Such as Swansea. And Heathcote is a *very* tough bellwether seat, I would have thought. The Libs have much more chance of winning certain Sydney seats on higher margins.

Purely by way of example, Parramatta and Riverstone I would have thought would be very hard for the ALP to even hold. Both areas have shown they *can* vote Liberal (admittedly at Federal level) and have been royally stuffed around by the present NSW government. My impression is Parramatta has a reasonable local member, Riverstone, umm, perhaps less good. But I think that after 2011 the ALP will only hold two or three seats in the northern half of Sydney – Blacktown and Mt Druitt. Toongabbie is a maybe. Penrith will be winnable for the Libs, assuming the locals have forgotten or forgiven the Libs’ Lindsay debacle in 2007.

What I meant by “local factors” in Rockdale is the ongoing shenanigans re Rockdale Council, the possibility of Sartor moving out of politics and the instability that may create in the ALP finding a saleable candidate. I’d agree that if Sartor stays, the ALP should hold the seat. Not sure that he will though, in which case…

Kiama I think is tougher for the Libs to win than say Oatley, East Hills, Toongabbie or Penrith. The local branches should either put up with Brown and attempt to rehabilitate him, or roll him and get a cleanskin in there. If Kiama fell, the coalition would be looking at 60 seats. I just see Kiama as the sort of place where many people may loath the local ALP member but find it very difficult to actually bring themselves to vote Liberal.

The problem with your analysis is that Rees was part of the NSW ALP Government that destroyed the budget, that did nothing since the 2000 Sydney Olympic, that did almost no infrastructure in its whole 16 years (What it did was PPP such as cross city tunnell) which led the Hong Kong operator to refuse to ever do business in Australia again.

He was part of the problem, most of the architect of the problem are still around, ie Tripoli, Sartor etc. Until those are cleaned out, the NSW ALP is unelectable.

Even Kevin Rudd’s team is trying to trash NSW on infrastructure, that is very telling on the competany of Rees and his staff

Sartor isn’t popular but is apparantly gaining local support with some Rockdale issues and frankly I think that Kogarah and Strathfield are just a bridge too far.

The only chances, I think, over 10% for the Libs are Blue Mountains (11%) if Koperberg retires, Rockdale (10%) and Kiama (12%), as the South Coast media, rightfully or not, are crucifying Matt Brown down there.

Heathcote @ 8% is my benchmark. A mix of out subs, regional but still somewhat cosmopolitan, that’s the kind of seat that will decide NSW.

Why?

I think he came into a difficult job and has tried admirably. I think that he’s honest, intelligent and decent and works damn hard.

NSW, along with most of the country, is not in a perfect situation. It’s in debt, has ageing infrastructure and has suffered perhaps most of all from the downturn (with GST receipts etc). None of this can be turned around overnight, but I think he’s made more inroads, especially with the public service heads then Iemma or Carr, and in much less time. He’s made tough, unpopular decisions that had to be made and frankly I don’t think that Iemma would have made.

The Government has to take credit for the issues in NSW, but Rees is, in my opinion, a good man who’s made good choices with depleted resources (money) and isn’t the one to blame for past mistakes. Naturally, people vote for parties as much as leaders, and NSW Labor has had a long time to make mistakes, so I’m not saying vote Labor because of one guy, but I think that he’s a genuine talent in a situation that no one could really shine in.

If he were the opposition Labor leader after 16 years of Liberal Government, I think there would be a lot of excitement about him.

Hope that made sense.

It’s no secret that I admire Rees,

Why?

Not being facetious.