retiring Member for Parkes Mark Coulton and wife Robyn celebrating Mr Chaffey’s
07Federal Election win on Saturday night. ▪ Photo contributed
The Nationals have retained the seat of Parkes following the 2025 Federal Election count on Saturday.
Following his win, Jamie Chaffey, The Nationals candidate for Parkes, said he was grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of the Parkes electorate.
“Over the last nine months of the campaign I have met so many incredible people,” Mr Chaffey said.
Mr Chaffey praised those who voted for him and also those who supported him throughout the campaign which included Mark and Robyn Coulton, who had given tireless service over the last 17 years for the Parkes electorate.
The former Gunnedah Shire Council Mayor, president of the Gunnedah Chamber of Commerce and Country Mayors Association executive clocked up more than 34,000km and knocked on close to 25,000 doors across the Parkes electorate during his campaign trail.
Mr Chaffey also paid tribute to the other election candidates for putting their hand up for their community and their nation.
“We may have different ideas, but I do believe we are all just trying to make our country a better place for future generations,” Mr Chaffey said.
“Once the polls are declared I will get to work to fight for every single person in the Parkes electorate to make our area an even better place to live.
“Although we have had the result we hoped for in Parkes, it has been a disappointing result overall, and I’m concerned for what that will mean for our country.
“But there is no doubt we still live in the best country in the world and I’m incredibly honoured to be entrusted with this great opportunity to represent the people of the Parkes electorate,” Mr Chaffey said.
As of lunch time yesterday, Mr Chaffey polled 62.96 per cent of the formal votes ahead of Labor’s Nathan Fell with 37.04 per cent, on a two candidate preferred count.
Cobar voters were in agreeance giving Mr Chaffey the thumbs up over Mr Fell.
Of the first preference votes across the electorate, Mr Chaffey won 40.02 per cent (37,896) of the total formal votes (94,687) in the 116 voting places in the electorate.
Labor’s Mr Fell received 18,641 first preference votes which was 19.69 per cent of the total formal votes.
Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate, Mark Carter won 13.72 per cent of first preference votes with 12,994 votes followed by Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party candidate Stephen Pope (6.35 per cent), The Greens’ Trish Frail (6.01 per cent) and Libertarian representative Sally Edwards (3.64 per cent).
The other four candidates, Bob Wilson, Maurice Davey, Petrus Van Der Steen and Stuart Howe, each failed to achieve more than three per cent of the first preference votes.
The voting in Cobar slightly differed from the majority of the Parkes electorate with Mr Chaffey earning 600 of 1,783 first preference formal votes (33.65 per cent) while Mr Carter from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party polled second best with 369 votes.
Labor’s Mr Fell had 248 votes (13.91 per cent), followed by Mr Pope (Shooters, Fishers and Farmers) with 210 (11.78 per cent) and Ms Frail with 94 votes (5.27 per cent).
The other five candidates each earned less than four per cent of the total first preference votes.
The number of informal votes recorded in the Parkes electorate was up 2.44 per cent this year to 10,704 with 199 of those votes recorded at Cobar polling places, 59 on voting day and 140 were recorded during pre poll voting.
