Three terms in Parliament is an achievement by any measure.

But even within the Greens there appeared to be a growing sense that Tamara Smith’s time was up.

The reason was becoming increasingly obvious.

Too many people across Ballina and Byron shires believed they rarely saw their local member.

The comments that flooded social media following Ms Smith’s retirement announcement were brutal at times, with some describing her as “the ghost”, “the phantom” or “the invisible MP”.

Fair or unfair, perception matters in politics.

And the perception had clearly taken hold.

The cardinal rule of local politics

Politics, particularly in regional electorates, is still built around one simple expectation.

People expect their local member to actually live in the electorate they represent.

It emerged during the last election campaign that Ms Smith lived outside the Ballina electorate, despite owning property in Alstonville.

Instead, her own local MP was Janelle Saffin.

The information was publicly available through parliamentary disclosures, but many voters were unaware of it at the time.

In isolation, that might not have mattered greatly.

But combined with a widespread perception that she was largely absent from community events and local campaigning, it became politically damaging.

It also contrasted sharply with the hands-on style of Ms Saffin, who is widely regarded — even by political opponents — as one of the most active and effective regional MPs in NSW.

The situation became the source of one particularly brutal political jibe from conservative opponents, who quipped that “the worst country MP in NSW was actually represented by the best country MP in NSW”.

Others stepped into the vacuum

In reality, much of the heavy lifting on local issues increasingly appeared to fall to the region’s two mayors.

Sarah Ndiaye and Sharon Cadwallader have effectively become the faces lobbying Macquarie Street on behalf of their communities.

Without the staffing, budgets or parliamentary influence available to a state MP, both have spent years pushing issues including health, housing, infrastructure and disaster recovery in particular.

As a result, both women have built relationships inside the NSW Government and become familiar figures in ministerial offices and government departments.

That matters.

Especially if the Minns Government wins another term, as current polling suggests is likely.

It is also why there is growing logic behind the argument that one of the two mayors may actually be best placed to replace Ms Smith.

The Greens face a defining choice

There is no doubt Mandy Nolan remains popular and well known.

Within Greens circles she is still widely viewed as the strongest contender for pre-selection.

She communicates well, understands audiences and has built a public following through years in entertainment and media.

But politics is not stand-up comedy.

This electorate cannot afford another MP learning on the job while critical local problems worsen.

Ballina remains burdened with an ageing hospital and growing concerns about health services.

Policing remains a major sleeper issue, with long-running frustrations over officer shortages and crime concerns.

Those issues require someone ready from day one to fight hard inside government corridors.

Not someone spending years finding their feet.

That is also where expected Nationals candidate Damian Loone could become politically dangerous for the Greens.

The former celebrated detective is likely to campaign heavily on law and order, policing resources and community safety.

If the Greens respond with another candidate perceived as disconnected from practical local issues, they risk opening the door wider than expected.

A chance to reset

The Greens now face an important decision.

Do they choose a high-profile personality and risk repeating the same criticisms that emerged during the Smith years?

Or do they choose someone already deeply embedded in the day-to-day battles affecting the electorate?

That is why Sarah Ndiaye deserves serious consideration.

And why Sharon Cadwallader would also immediately become a formidable contender if she decides to run as an independent.

The next Member for Ballina cannot simply represent a party brand or a list of ideological causes.

The electorate badly needs what it has been sorely lacking. Someone visible, accessible and effective.

And someone prepared to fight relentlessly for the issues that are directly affecting local families every single day.

Photo: One of the images shared by retiring Ballina MP Tamara Smith (second from left) on social media following her departure announcement showed her protesting against the Adani coal mine in Queensland.  Critics argue that while Ms Smith was vocal on broader activist causes, many voters felt she was not visible enough fighting for core local issues affecting the Ballina electorate.

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