Musings on an election campaign...

It's all over, Monday morning today and its back to work in my other vocation, a solicitor. I have enjoyed this campaign, thanks I think largely to the support of an able and willing group of volunteers. We had every booth covered on polling day, from Winkie to Waikerie, Loxton North to Ramco, Waikerie to Paringa. Thanks everyone!

Yesterday was spent pulling down our posters as required by law.

I enjoyed the strange posse of Mrs Maywald, Mrs Baric and myself encouraging our polling booth volunteers on polling day. That will be a lasting memory I think, running into each other about 5 times having followed, coincidentally, roughly the same route through the booths. I gained some faith that the community's interest in politics is not dead, there are still a dedicated few passionate about seeing change through politics.

As I have said to the media, I am proud of a campaign where we focussed on social issues, from reducing poker machine numbers and teaching young people about debt, to improving food offered in our school canteens, housing for the homeless and improved respite services for the disabled. We campaigned in a positive way, without mud-slinging or scare-mongering. Whilst I admit we are in difficult times financially in this region, I believe come boom or bust cycles, we will always have these social issues to deal with. Our vote and "swing" towards us indicates that the electorate liked both our positive campaign and the issues upon which we chose to focus.

I thank the Family First party for the opportunity to run as their candidate.

Lastly I thank my wife, Kristin, and son Joshua, with putting up with my absence - often in body, and sometimes presence in body but absence in mind (with the distractions of the campaign). We can now focus on our third child's arrival in the coming week-and-a-half.

God is good. Life is good.