Paterson electorate guide: Federal election 2025 candidates, results and margin
The Liberals will be hoping to ride the winds of change in the Hunter region seat of Paterson this election, where the renewable energy transition hits closer to home than most.
Paterson sits just north of Newcastle and includes the areas of Maitland, Kurri Kurri, Raymond Terrace and Nelson Bay.
The redistribution cutting off areas on the south west of the seat drops Labor’s two-party preferred vote from 53.3 to 52.6 per cent.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Labor’s Meryl Swanson has held the seat for the last nine years, after winning it for the first time in the 2016 election following a redistribution of the seat.
Housing sector worker Laurence Antcliff will be challenging for the seat for the Liberal party, who may find support in opposition to a proposed offshore windfarm.
Paterson’s coast line has been picked as one which could harbour an offshore wind farm, angering many in the community who worry about the usage of the site and the visual amenity.
The unique issue of the windfarm could potentially see a swing away from the government in protest.
The seat was first created in 1972 and was won by the Country Party through to 1983 when it was abolished. It was then reformed in 1993 and has been contested between the Liberal and Labor parties ever since.
When it was first re-created, Labor’s Bob Horne won the seat before being unseated by the Liberal’s Bob Baldwin in 1996. Incredibly, the seat was then won back by Mr Horne in 1998 and then Mr Baldwin again in 2001 and he held the seat until 2016 when he retired.
