Wed 3 Sep 2008 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
It's a tight call whether lesbian Labour MP Louisa Wall will return to Parliament after the general election if recent polls showing Labour getting around 37% of the vote reflect voting patterns on election night. Louisa Wall MP Wall, a Labour list MP who entered Parliament on March 4th following the departure of Anne Hartley, is ranked 43 on the just-released party list, meaning Labour would have to poll 36% or higher to see her back in the house. As one of the 'fresh new faces' of Labour it is unclear why Wall did not receive a higher ranking, though she has moved up the list a little, from 47 at the last election. Political commentators are suggesting that she might have placed higher if Labour's list did not have to reflect the widening variety of ethnic and other sectors which make up its support base. Other openly gay and lesbian candidates reasonably sure of being elected to the new Parliament include Labour's Chris Carter (Te Atatu electorate), Maryan Street (Nelson), and Charles Chauvel (Ohariu). Grant Robertson, placed lower than Wall at list position 46, has a fair chance of taking Wellington Central. Chris Finlayson, standing for Rongotai and positioned at 14 on National's list, will be a shoe-in, while The Greens' Kevin Hague will need an unlikely significant swing to his party in the West Coast electorate or an improvement in the Greens' overall vote for his 7th position to give him a seat in the house. Fellow Green candidate Linda Persson faces an uphill battle standing in Hamilton East and placed 31 on the Greens list.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 3rd September 2008 - 3:22pm