Declaration of the polls - Benalla electorate

Bill Sykes was confirmed as the Member for Benalla for the next four years at the Declaration of the Polls at Benalla this week.

Dianne McMillan, Benalla Election Manager, Victorian Electoral Commission, made the declaration to a small gathering in front of the ‘Weary’ Dunlop statue in Benalla.

The final results were

Bill Sykes (Nationals)- 42.13%
Robert Mitchell Labor)- 25.20%
Hamish McMillan (Liberal)- 23.02%
Kammy Cordner Hunt (Greens)- 7.10%
James Rainey (Family First)- 2.55%

Dr Sykes acknowledged the support of his staff and his wife Sally and congratulated the Electoral Office staff on their work efficiency and friendly manner.

Dr Sykes also thanked the people of the Electorate for their endorsement of his team’s efforts to help local people and his ongoing battle for a fair share of Victoria’s $100 million per day income for country Victoria.

Later Dr Sykes reflected, “It has been gratifying to help many individuals and community organisations.

“It is unfortunate that much of my team’s energy has gone into stopping things like the toxic dump at Violet Town and the decommissioning of Lake Mokoan.

“I hope that over the next few years I will be able to focus on proactively working with the Government of the day to achieve the best possible outcome for country Victorians.”

Dr Sykes continued, “The first issues which need addressing include ensuring fair and helpful assistance to people affected by the drought, frost, tobacco industry closure and bushfires.

“There is also a need for funding to catch up the backlog of school maintenance and significant funding needs to people with disabilities.”

At the Victorian National Party meeting this week, Dr Sykes was nominated as party spokesperson on Treasury matters as well as continuing his role as spokesperson for Police & Emergency Services.

Dr Sykes said, “I am looking forward to these challenging roles and I will draw heavily on the 30 years experience of my colleague Bill Baxter (the Upper House Member for North Eastern Province until 2006).”