2023 NSW Election: What Labor victory means for Orange electorate

Chris Minns cruised to victory Saturday, and appears likely to form majority government. Incumbent independent Phil Donato was reelected by a record margin.

Following a gruelling four months campaign, Labor candidate for Orange Heather Dunn finished in third place with about 10 per cent of first-preference votes.

The 30-year-old accountant and about a dozen close supporters piled into her former workplace - the Victoria Hotel on Bathurst Road - to celebrate as results rolled in.

"Labor is good to Orange ... Last time we held state and federal government we got a new hospital and a pool built," Dunn said.

"This [statewide] victory means our education sector is going to be fixed, we're going to see a revitalisation in TAFE, and healthcare professionals are going to be heard.

"Hopefully our teachers are going to get a pay rise... firefighters, healthcare workers, education. Those people are going to be looked after and it's going to be good for our community.

"People are going to be able to afford homes more because we're getting rid of stamp duty. With Phil working alongside us we're going to achieve a lot."

Here's where Parkes Shire residents voted on Saturday:

It could have been the bacon and eggs on offer as Parkes East Public School was swamped with voters, with 1296 formal votes cast at the location.

Middleton Public had 778 formal votes and Parkes Public School and Parkes Assemblies of God saw 680 and 669 respectively.

Meanwhile there were 475 formal votes cast at Peak Hill Central School, 289 at Trundle Memorial Hall, 152 at Tullamore Central, Bogan Gate Public had 128 and Alectown Hall had 126.

Dunn teared-up reflecting on "incredible" support shown by family, friends, volunteers, throughout her campaign and her high school maths teacher who had reached out earlier in the day.

Orange City Councillor and long term party stalwart Jeff Whitton had nothing but praise for the candidate who balanced a full-time job with relentless door-to-door campaigning.

The strength of the Labor branch in Orange is coming through our younger members," he said.

"Any political party wants to have [people] coming through to take over from the old guard and keep our philosophies and beliefs alive in the community ... Heather has done that.

"I think Orange has always done really well when we've had a Labor government even though we've not held the seat for a long time."

Dunn said she plans to keep representing Labor causes across the region, and is eying a tilt at Orange City Council next year.

"I'm only 30. I've got a long time to continue to fight for Orange and make sure we get what we need and what we deserve," she said.

In coming decades, Dunn and Whitton believe Labor has a path to outright victory in Orange for the first time since WWII.

We've swung toward Labor before and it can happen again as more people move here and and our state becomes more progressive," Dunn said.

"There are a lot of people who believe Labor can't deliver and this next four years is about showing we can."

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