The race to succeed retiring Greens MP Tamara Smith in the seat of Ballina is beginning to take shape, with Byron Shire councillor Janet Swain announcing she will seek Labor preselection for next year’s NSW election.

Cr Swain, a musician, choir leader, event organiser and first-term councillor, has confirmed she will contest Labor’s preselection ballot on September 5 against Alstonville’s Lachlan Hall, a former NBN News cameraman.

If successful, Ms Swain will become Labor’s challenger to Greens candidate Mandy Nolan, who was endorsed by the party last month following Tamara Smith’s decision to retire after three terms.

In announcing her candidacy, Ms Swain said Ballina and Byron deserved stronger representation within the NSW Government.

“We need a voice at the table for Ballina and Byron – and I hope to be that voice.”

She said she was motivated to seek preselection after seeing what could be achieved through cooperation between councils and state and federal governments.

“I believe in politics. I believe in listening to people across the electorate from all walks of life, working together to find meaningful solutions to some of our most pressing issues – health care, homelessness, loneliness and disconnection, and the protection of our beautiful unique environment for generations to come.

“As a local councillor in the Byron Shire, I’ve seen first-hand what can actually be achieved when we work with state and federal governments. I’m running to be part of the positive change that Labor can bring to our communities.”

Ms Swain said one of Labor’s strongest arguments heading into the election would be the value of having a local MP sitting on the government benches.

“If that’s the government in power, you want people in that government to represent you,” she said.

“I know how much councils rely on good relationships with state government and state politicians. Representing Ballina in Sydney and working with our councils would be a really important part of the job.”

Ms Swain said her experience on Byron Shire Council, where she’s serving her first term, had given her an understanding of how different levels of government could work together to deliver outcomes for local communities.

Although well known in the Byron Shire, Ms Swain acknowledged she was less familiar to voters in the southern end of the electorate and said she had recently joined the Ballina branch of the Labor Party. She has also joined the Ballina Concert Band, where she plays the bassoon, saying music has always been an important part of her life and another way of connecting with the community.

Mr Hall has also announced he will seek Labor endorsement, campaigning on issues including housing affordability, healthcare and transport.

Nationals yet to settle on candidate

Ms Swain is the second Byron Shire councillor to enter the race, joining independent candidate David Warth, who announced his campaign in June. 

The Nationals are still searching for a candidate to reclaim a seat they held continuously from the electorate’s re-establishment in 1988 until it was won by the Greens’ Tamara Smith in 2015.  

Ballina Deputy Mayor and retired detective Damien Loone had been widely tipped as a potential Nationals candidate but ultimately decided not to seek preselection.

Ballina News Daily understands the party is now expected to meet on September 13 and remains hopeful of endorsing a candidate ahead of the March 2027 state election.

The Labor preselection winner will emerge on September 5 before attention turns to what is shaping as one of the most closely watched regional contests of the 2027 NSW election.