Greenwich 'passionate' about many issues

28 Oct 2012, 2:19 pm   -   Source: AAP

The winner of the Sydney by-election, Alex Greenwich, has denied NSW government claims he is a single-issue politician.

Newly elected independent MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich has denied coalition claims he is a single-issue politician after his landslide by-election victory.

More than 48 per cent of voters chose Mr Greenwich in Saturday's poll, with the Clover Moore-backed candidate finishing with a two-party preferred vote of just under 65 per cent.

The result was a stinging defeat for the O'Farrell government and its candidate Shayne Mallard.

Mr Greenwich, who campaigned strongly in favour of same-sex marriage, on Sunday shrugged off coalition claims he was singularly concerned with pushing a marriage equality agenda.

"(The coalition) ran a campaign calling me a single-issue candidate. They've even attacked my age, saying I'm too young," Mr Greenwich, 31, told reporters in Sydney.

"I feel passionately about a number of issues, including animal welfare, strata reform, better transport alternatives.

"Yes, I am very proud of my record about progressing the marriage equality debate, and that's something that is supported across this electorate as well."

Mr Greenwich, who is openly gay, married his male partner in Argentina in May this year.

Until recently he was also the convener of Australian Marriage Equality (AME), a group that advocates same-sex marriage.

The result showed voters had punished the NSW government for forcing Sydney Lord Mayor Moore out of parliament with laws that prevented NSW MPs also sitting on councils, he said.

"I was encouraged throughout the entire campaign about the amount of support there was out there to keep Sydney independent and the amount of outrage there was out there that our sitting member had been removed," said Mr Greenwich, who runs a recruitment business in Sydney.

NSW Labor did not put up a candidate in the by-election, but shadow special minister of state Walt Secord said the result was a "referendum on Barry O'Farrell's leadership".

"The people of Sydney democratically elected Clover Moore and Barry O'Farrell got rid of her," Mr Secord said on Sunday.

"Whether you like Clover Moore or not, she was democratically elected."

Greens MP John Kaye said he was pleased with the performance of his party's candidate, Chris Harris.

The Greens won 18 per cent of the primary vote on Saturday, representing a five per cent swing towards it.

"Yesterday saw a good result for the Greens," he said.

"It was an outcome that said a lot about the O'Farrell government on the skids.

"The people of Sydney were very cranky about the way Clover Moore was pushed out of that seat."

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