Nationals to fire starting gun in race for Ballina
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The race to replace retiring Greens MP Tamara Smith will move up a gear next weekend, with the Nationals set to formally begin their campaign to win back the seat of Ballina.
Ballina News Daily understands the NSW Nationals will meet in Ballina next Sunday to officially endorse their candidate for the 2027 state election.
At this stage, only one person is understood to have nominated for Nationals pre-selection — Damian Loone.
The former detective and current Ballina deputy mayor has built a strong public profile through local government and his long policing career.
The retirement of a sitting member is traditionally seen as a major turning point in country electorates, where incumbents often benefit from strong name recognition and established political networks.
Despite that, the Greens are still likely to begin the contest as favourites to retain the seat they’ve held since the retirement of former Nationals MP at the 2015 state election.
Attention is now turning to who will emerge as the Greens candidate following Ms Smith’s decision to step aside after three terms.
Comedian and author Mandy Nolan moved quickly after the retirement announcement to publicly declare her intention to seek Greens pre-selection.
Ms Nolan has twice contested the federal seat of Richmond and was widely viewed as being well placed internally for the state contest given her strong polling in those two previous campaigns against the labor incumbent Justine Elliot.
However, the contest took a surprise turn on Friday when Sarah Ndiaye revealed during an interview with the ABC’s Angela Catterns that she would also seek Greens endorsement.
“I will know Mandy has put her hand up and she’s a fantastic candidate, but I think pre selections should be fair and open processes, and I love local government,” she said.
“I’ve worked in it for 10 years and I can see what our community needs, and I’m willing to give it a go.”
Contacted by Ballina News Daily over the weekend, Cr Ndiaye declined to comment further, saying she would follow party rules surrounding the pre-selection process.
The same conventions generally apply across the major parties.
Meanwhile, Sharon Cadwallader is also understood to still be considering a possible independent run.
The ALP is expected to choose its candidate in July, with Healthy North Coast CEO Monika Wheeler being discussed among party sources as a possible candidate.
The Ballina electorate covers both Ballina and Byron shires and is expected to become one of the most closely watched regional seats in NSW ahead of the next election.
Photo: Ballina shire Deputy Mayor Damain Loone pictured attending the recent Anzac Day commemoration service at Alstonville
