VOTERS in Paterson will choose from 10 candidates for the House of Representatives in the Federal Election on 3 May.
A total of 1456 candidates were declared by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) at public events across Australia on 11 April.
Of these, 1126 are contesting 150 lower house positions and 330 are vying for 40 Senate vacancies.
The AEC also revealed that a record 98.2 percent of eligible Australians (18,098,797) are now enrolled to vote, which represents an increase of 870,000 people (five percent) since the 2022 election.
The youth enrolment rate has also increased to 92 percent.
In order of how they will appear on the ballot paper, the candidates for Paterson are:
1) Rod Holding (Independent);
2) Meryl Swanson (Labor);
3) Arnon Wither (Pauline Hanson’s One Nation);
4) Philip Penfold (Independent);
5) Paul Johns (Greens);
6) Laurence Antcliff (Liberals);
7) Sandra Lyn Briggs (Family First);
8) April Maree Scott (Independent);
9) Peter N Arena (Trumpet of Patriots);
10) Daniel Dryden (Legalise Cannabis).
About Paterson
Covering 948 sq km, the Paterson electoral division is jointly named in honour of Colonel William Paterson and Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson CBE.
The former was a soldier and botanist who served as Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, while the latter was a journalist, war correspondent and poet whose many works include ‘The Man from Snowy River’.
The Division of Paterson consists of part of the Cessnock City Council, part of the Lake Macquarie City Council, part of the Maitland City Council, part of the Newcastle City Council, and part of the Port Stephens Council.
The name Paterson was first used to describe the electorate at the 1949 federal election, before it was retired for the 1984 federal election and later resurrected for the 1993 federal election.
