By NIKKI TODD
NATIONALS candidate Matthew Fraser has not been put off by his loss to Labor, and will seriously consider having another crack at Richmond if the party supports him.
It was a bittersweet day for Mr Fraser on Saturday after securing 37.76 per cent of the primary vote compared to Justine Elliot’s 33.6 per cent take, but losing on the distribution of preferences.
“I am feeling really positive, I have taken a lot of positive things from the campaign,’’ Mr Fraser said.
“We as a team, the Nationals and myself, were able to deliver a win in the primary vote – there was a massive swing towards us. You could argue I was the people’s choice but not the preferred candidate.’’
His loss was, however, tempered by the Coalition’s victory nationally, unseating Labor in a significant drilling to deliver the prime minister’s job to Tony Abbott.
A businessman who owns two Hungry Jacks stores at Tweed Heads, Mr Fraser said he would definitely consider running again after halving Ms Elliot’s seven per cent margin.
“It’s really going to come down to what the members of the party want to do,’’ Mr Fraser said.
“At this point, the back of my mind is saying I should run again but it will come down to pre-selection and whether the members think I deserve another go.
“Richmond is now a marginal seat – it’s unfortunate we won’t have somebody at the round table of government.’’
Mr Fraser fared best at the northern end of the electorate, taking seats at Banora Point, Kingscliff, Terranora and Piggabeen and fared particularly well at pre-polling, securing 65 per cent of votes at the Divisional Office in Tweed Heads.
But it was not enough to stop the Labor-Greens juggernaut, which overwhelmingly dominated the southern end of Richmond, particularly at Byron Bay, Ocean Shores, Mullumbimby and Nimbin, running on a strong anti-Coal Seam Gas platform.
“The Greens vote is what pulled Justine over the line but I am not taking anything away from her,’’ he said.
“She is a very seasoned campaigner who ran a good campaign because she won.’’
After cleaning out his campaign office in Minjungbal Drive, Mr Fraser was looking forward to enjoying a short holiday with his fiancee before returning to managing their business.
