LIBERAL DEMOCRATS SURGE
This monkey congratulates Liberal Democrat John Ruddick on his appointment to the NSW Upper House. This will see a re-balancing of ideas and common sense so badly needed in Australia. I include the full report of this significant win from The Hon Ross Cameron below. Enjoy the weekend, hope to see you at Taronga! Gibber! Gibber! Chugley Chugley —The NSW Electoral Commission held its “final distribution of preferences” confirming this week that Liberal Democrats candidate John Ruddick has been elected to the NSW Legislative Council for an eight year term with 162,755 votes, 3.53% of the statewide vote. This is the first time the Liberal Democrats have won a seat in the NSW Upper House, Australia’s oldest legislative chamber and gives the party elected representation in the two most populous Australian states after the success of David Limbrick in Victoria. We are not blind to the immediate, material benefit to the NSW Liberal Democrats of a member in the chamber, an office and two full-time staff and, by the rorts of incumbency, an annual cash allowance for party administration costs.For some perspective, the result represents a 62% increase on the party’s result in the 2022 NSW Senate race and an even greater advance on the NSW State Election in 2019. Ironically, after securing both Liberal and National Party preferences at #2 statewide for the first time, we have been comfortably elected without the benefit of any preference flows because of the way the quotas filled, securing victory at #19 out of 21 vacant spots (with Shooters, Fishers and Farmers winning #20 and Rachel Merton scraping over the line just ahead of Animal Justice to give the Liberal Party #21 and seven in total. One of the great things about the result for John Ruddick and the Party is…