Labor Swing A Positive For Hamilton

He was on the campaign trail longer than any other candidate for Dawson, but instead of being disappointed for himself, Shane Hamilton says he hopes he didn’t disappoint the people who gave him their support.

“I want to extend a big thank you to the voters who saw something in me and what I stood for.

“Especially to the volunteers who helped during the campaign and on Election Day. We had an 86-year-old handing out ‘how to vote’ cards and some who drove to Prossy and Bowen. I really owe them a lot of thanks,” Mr Hamilton said.

While he managed to secure more than a 4 per cent swing in his favour, Mr Hamilton said he had wanted more to make Dawson a marginal seat.

“I was really hoping for more than a 10 per cent swing. Once you get within that 6 per cent, the seat is considered marginal instead of safe. That means more funding comes into the region because both sides really fight for the vote.

“Dawson deserves its fair share but that will only happen once the seat becomes marginal instead of safe.”

With Labor winning the Federal Election and Anthony Albanese becoming Australia’s 31st Prime Minister, Mr Hamilton said he’s looking forward to seeing the restoration of Medicare.

“MRI’s, hip replacements and knee replacements, the procedures that were stripped from Medicare, I’m glad that our health system will be restored to where it should be.”

During his time campaigning and working full-time in the mines, Mr Hamilton said the most enjoyable part was the interaction he had with a diverse range of people.

“There are a lot of great ideas out there, interacting with people and gaining an understanding of what the region needs was a privilege.”

When asked if he’ll run in the next election, he laughed and said ‘never say never’.

“I get to spend a lot more time with my family now.”

Family man Shane Hamilton paused his campaigning on Election Day to coach his son’s U6 Magpies rugby league team

‍