Music teacher, festival founder, and Byron Shire councillor Janet Swain is NSW Labor’s candidate for Ballina at the State Election in March 2027.
Ballina is the only seat outside inner Sydney currently held by the Greens. It takes in all of Ballina and most of Byron Shire.
Greens MP Tamara Smith has held the seat since the retirement of the Nationals’ Don Page in 2015.
The area is increasingly urbanised, with declining rural industries and an abundance of alternative lifestyle communities. It is unlikely to return to a conservative party, so Labor’s candidate is likely the biggest opposition to the Greens retaining the seat. A swing to Ms Smith away from the Nationals at the last election moved the seat out of the marginal column and into a fairly safe 7.7 per cent margin.
Janet Swain has lived in the Byron Shire for more than a decade. For the past 12 years she has taught music in local primary schools, and she founded and directs the Festival of the Voice in Brunswick Heads.
Cr Swain was elected to Byron Shire Council in 2024. NSW Labor says she has focused on the practical issues that matter to local residents, including roads, infrastructure, and the community services people rely on.
“I love this part of NSW, but I also know the challenges people are facing,” she said.
“If I’m elected, I’ll work every day to make sure Ballina has a strong voice in Parliament, fighting for better services, more affordable housing and real opportunities for local families.”
Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said Labor wanted people on its team who knew their communities.
“Janet has spent years working in her community, teaching local kids, bringing people together and standing up for local residents on council,” Mr Dib said.
“She knows this community, she understands the challenges families are facing and she’ll work hard to make sure their concerns are heard.”
If elected, Cr Swain would represent Ballina as part of a Minns Labor Government. NSW Labor points to what it says has already been delivered for the Northern Rivers, including the Great Koala National Park and a 60-day cap on short-term holiday letting in Byron Shire.
The list also includes new public preschools in Lennox Head and Wollongbar, a redevelopment of Lennox Head Public School, and a new SES unit at Ballina. It names a new fire station and police station for Byron Bay, an upgraded ambulance station for Mullumbimby, and safety upgrades on the Bruxner Highway.
NSW Labor also says 267 local teachers and support staff have been made permanent, and 73 new police recruits are being brought in.
“The Minns Labor Government has made progress, delivering new public preschools and rebuilding our essential public services with more teachers, paramedics and police officers,” she said.
NSW Labor says there is more to do for families across Ballina and the Northern Rivers, particularly on housing, healthcare, education, and the cost of living.
“But, there’s more to do and I believe in listening to people and working together to make a practical difference in people’s everyday lives,” she said.
“That’s been my focus as a Byron Shire Councillor, and I’m ready to take that approach to NSW Parliament to help improve the lives of people in the Northern Rivers.”
“Ballina is such a special part of New South Wales and if I have the privilege of representing the community I promise to spend every day making sure their voices are heard to make Ballina an even better place to live.”
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