Former Byron Shire councillor Asren Pugh has confirmed with The Echo that he has been preselected for the NSW Labor Upper House (Senate) ticket for the 2027 election. He is number six on the ticket.
‘This will be the first time that Labor has had an upper house candidate from the North Coast since Janelle Saffin first ran in 1995. I look forward to working with Minister Saffin and our local Federal MP Justine Elliot to bring a strong North Coast voice down to Macquarie Street,’ he said.
There are 21 senators, of 42, whose terms expire on 5 March, 2027. Seven of Labor’s current 15 senators’ terms will end. Four Liberal Party members, two Greens, including local member Sue Higginson, and three members of the National Party’s terms will also expire.
‘We need a strong voice to advocate for better regional services, like health and education, to continue to work on addressing the housing crisis, to end native forest logging and to continue the excellent work that Minister Sharpe has been doing on the renewables rollout,’ Bangalow based Mr Pugh told The Echo.
‘With the rise of false prophets under the One Nation banner, a strong regional voice is even more important.’
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