VIDEO: Provest survives massive swing in newly marginal Tweed
GEOFF Provest has kept his seat in the Tweed, but with a significant cut to his margin.
A total 22 of 26 booths have been counted and Mr Provest has declared victory in the seat with 52.3% of votes on a two-party preferred basis.
Labor's candidate for Tweed Ron Goodman took 47.7% of votes, which represents a massive 20% swing to ALP.
Mr Provest now sits at around 2% margin, in stark contrast to the last election result when he won with over a 20 point lead.
He blamed Labor's campaign tactics and Electrical Trade Unions for the slide, which was more than the state average.
"I think there was a lot of misinformation about the sale of poles and wires. There will be no sale or lease of poles and wires in regional New South Wales.
"I think the unions spent a lot of money campaigning and outspent me," he said.
In defeat, Mr Goodman said the ALP's election campaign was the "highlight of his life" and that he "utterly" rejected there was any misinformation in his campaign.
"I'm incredibly heartened by the massive swing of support. In many ways it's a stunning rejection of the national party's performance of their agenda of privatisation of the electricity network."
