New England Online

Preface · About New England · Latest News

New England Online > Government & Politics > Politics > Elections > County Elections > 2052 County Elections

2052 County Elections

County elections for New England will be held on Saturday, 3rd August 2052. Voters will go to polls in all thirteen counties, and will be asked to elect thirteen earls and 162 thegns. Voting is compulsory in New England for all people who are enrolled and are over the age of sixteen.

Under the provisions of newly enacted Local Government Act, this year's elections will be last held in August, with elections for the counties set to be moved back two months, and from 2056 will take place on the first Saturday in June. For Greater Armidale and Port Macquarie, this election will be last time

• Overview
• Apsleyshire
• Clarence
• Fitzroyshire
• Greater Armidale
• Guyrashire
• Gwydirshire
• Macintyre
• Macleay
• Macquarie
• Parkes
• Raleighshire
• Severnshire
• Urallashire

Overview

The 2048 county elections saw the SDLP regain some of the ground it lost in the disasterous elections of 2044. Despite this, the party did not do as well as expected, and the National Party has remained dominant at the county level with 81 aldermen, including eight of the earldoms. The SDLP will be going into the election with 56 aldermen and needs to make up ground across all counties in order to claim top spot for the first time since the party was founded.

The Alliance also did well in 2048, and has signalled that it expects to make further gains in it's heartland at the expense of the Nationals. On present polling, the Nationals may lose control of several counties to the third party as the political realignment in the wake of the March general election countinues. The minor parties will also being trying to increase their share of the vote in the hope that they can build a higher profile in time for the next round of elections in 2056.

[Top of Page]

Apsleyshire

Located in the Borders region south-east of Armidale, Apsleyshire (population 74,130) is a rural county known for it's fine quality wool and beautiful gorges. The county town is Walcha, with other centres including Williamstown and Woolbrook. Aplseyshire is the birthplace of the current First Minister, Matthew Jones, who served as Earl of the county for five years between 2035 and 2040.

Earl - The current Earl, Helen Moss will be asking for a second term, after she was comfortably elected in 2048 ahead of Fred Nelson from the Progressive Party. At the last election, Moss polled 44.4% of the primary vote, and after preferences, was elected with 54.6% of the vote on a two candidate preferred basis. Nelson has again been chosen by the Progressives, and will be joined by the Nationals George King, a Yarrowitch farmer and businessman. Other candidates include part-time university student Francine Smith from the Alliance and Alby Baldwin, a former soldier and independent candidate from Woolbrook.

Assesment: SDLP retain.

Thegns - The SDLP has firmly held Apsleyshire since 2025, and has never lost control of the county. In 2048, the party polled 42.1% of the vote, giving it a good majority on the county council. Despite this, the party has not polled as highly this time around, and is likely to lose a seat each to the Progressives and the Nationals. The Nationals in particular have worked hard to imrove their vote, and have polling in the high teens for some months. Assuming there is no further movement in polling, this would mean a hung council, something that Apsleyshire has not seen since the early 2020s.

Assesment: SDLP 6, Progressive 4, National 2.

[Top of Page]

Clarence

Known as Big River Country, Clarence is located on the North Coast region of New England, with the county town, Grafton, located about 200 kilometres north-east of Armidale. Clarence has a population of 127,150, with major centres including Lawrence, Maclean, Ulmarra, Wooli and Yamba.

Earl - Liz Gill has been the Earl of Clarence since the last election when she ran over the independent incumbent Patrick Doherty by an easy margin. Gill polled 55.7 of the primary vote, negating the need to go to preferences. Despite his convincing loss last time around, Doherty has thrown his hat into the ring again, and with connexions to the business community in Grafton he can expect to do well. The outcome will probably come down to the final flow of preferences, with the distibution of votes for SDLP being the most critical. Gill and Doherty will be joined by lawyer Willy Ekahart (Progressive), teacher Siobhan O'Hearn (Democratic Conservatives), radiologist Dr Jacinta Owen (New England Alliance), retiree and former soldier Israel Tate (Retiree and Superannuates), union organiser Jack Walsh (SDLP), and wildlife campaigner Alice Young (Green).

Assesment: Too close to call.

Thegns - The National Party has always done well in Clarence, and could probably be forgiven for expecting to win again this time. National holds nine seats to the SDLPs three and has not lost control of the council since 2020. This time however, things may be different. The SDLP has polled in the high forties since the middle of 2050, which is a record for the left in the county. At times they have come close to bumping the Nationals off their top perch, but in recent months a small gap has emerged between the two. Also doing better have been the Alliance, with recent polling putting them at between three and four perecent, which is still a long way from a quota. However, it is likely that Alliance preference will play a major part in the allocation of the final seat on the council.

Assesment: National 6, SDLP 6.

[Top of Page]

Fitzroyshire

One of New England's major seaside cities, Coffs Harbour is the third largest conurbation after Armidale and Port Macquarie. Loacted on the North Coast,

Earl - Politics in Fitzroyshire has always played to a different beat than what is normally seen in the rest of New England. This election promises to be no different, with Democratic Conservative, hoping for a another term in the top job.

Thegns -

[Top of Page]

Greater Armidale

Encompassing the national capital of New England and it's immediate surrounds, Greater Armidale is the most populous county with 495,000 inhabitants. Other major centres include Dangasleigh, Dumaresq and Puddledock. Greater Armidale has always been the powerhouse of the SDLP, who have been able form adminstrations on the basis of their strong results in the capital.

Earl - The election for Earl is shaping up to the be closest Armidale has seen for many years. The incumbent, Gabby Harrison, easily won election in 2044 and 2048, without a need for preferences. This time, the SDLP has put up a strong candidate in Christine Giles, who is polling double what the party recieved last time. The National Party will play a vital role in deciding the outcome of this election, with Norm Watson's preferences likely to determine the winner. Other candidates include Sam Bishop (Green), Alex Campbell (Socialist), Peter Newman (Independent), and Fitz Tierney (Retiree and Superannuates).

Assesment: Alliance retain.

Thegns - At the last election, there was a near even sperad of thegns between the Alliance and SDLP. The National Party has not enjoyed any widespread success since it was wiped out in 2036. This time around it the Alliance will be hoping to win the two seats needed to form a majority on the council.

Assesment: Alliance 9, SDLP 6, National 3.

[Top of Page]

Guyrashire

[Top of Page]

Home · Site Map · Contact Us · Search
Legal Disclaimer · Site Acknowledgments

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.