As we approach some state elections period – with Victoria holding theirs in November and NSW holding theirs in March 2023, it will be interesting to see what levels of diversity there will be in terms of candidates. Also, where there will be some new faces during the campaign, there will be some who will be leaving, and Geoff Lee MP – who represents the Western Sydney seat of Parramatta has announced he is retiring from politics after 12 years and not contesting the 2023 NSW State Election.
Parramatta is a very diverse seat both in its state form and in its federal form. In terms of the NSW state division (via the 2021 Australian Census):
- 20.1% of the population have some sort of Chinese ancestral background;
- 13.2% of the population have some sort of Indian ancestral background;
- 4.9% of the population have some sort of Korean ancestral background;
Federally, the seat borders other federal electorates which have large Asian populations – Bennelong and Greenway and its not far from Reid, so thinking about it, it is extremely important that political parties choose a culturally diverse candidate for this seat for the state election.
Traditionally a safe Labor seat, Lee won the seat back in 2011 with a 25.8% swing towards him and the NSW Liberals. He has served under 2 Premiers – Gladys Berejiklian and Dominic Perrottet (current NSW Premier). He has also held a number of portfolios in a ministerial capacity, including skills, tertiary education and has served as the Acting Minister for sports, multiculturalism, veterans and seniors. He currently holds the ministry of corrections.
In any case, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
Images via Geoff Lee Facebook