Liberal MP Felicity Wilson holds on to North Shore seat after winning preselection by one point
UNDER siege Berejiklian government MP Felicity Wilson has managed to just cling to her North Shore electorate after barely winning a crucial Liberal preselection against challenger Tim James on Monday night.
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AN-UNDER siege Berejiklian government MP has managed to just cling to her North Shore electorate after barely winning a crucial Liberal preselection last night.
Felicity Wilson, Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s pick for the seat, got 101 votes last night — just one more than her preselection challenger Tim James.
There were four informal votes with Mr James telling the crowd at the North Sydney Leagues Club immediately after the vote that he intended to challenge the result.
A Liberal party insider said Mr James described it as a “bitter” concession speech and that the challenge would have to play out in court if he pursued it.
The vote was seen as a litmus test for the Liberal party and its support for the Premier after Ms Berejiklian staged an unusual intervention.
Ms Wilson is a member of the moderate faction, the same as Ms Berejiklian and party powerbroker Minister Matt Kean. Mr James is of the opposing hard right faction.
The tight result will likely lead some in the party to question Ms Berejiklian’s authority.
“In spite of what was an uphill battle, the premier’s support was crucial in securing this victory — this is great victory for the supporters of the Premier,” a senior Liberal source said.
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Ms Berejiklian made a direct pitch to preselectors on behalf of Ms Wilson ahead of the vote saying she was a “fighter” and “best placed to represent the liberal party at the 2019 state election”.
“I am asking directly for your support to ensure Felicity can continue to make a valuable contribution to her constituents and my government,” Ms Berejiklian wrote.
Before the tilt for the North Shore, Mr James was a chief of staff to Planning Minister Anthony Roberts.
Ms Wilson, who replaced former Health Minister Jillian Skinner in the seat, emerged as a controversial candidate after she was forced to retract incorrect claims she made in a statutory declaration form that she had lived on the North Shore for a decade since 2005.
Ms Wilson repaid the Premier’s support in her winning remarks last night.
“I’m so glad that because of my party member support I can keep getting on with the job and go back to my community in March next year and make sure they know that I’ll keep fighting for them and putting them first like the Berejiklian government always does,” she said.
It is the latest fractious Liberal preselection fight ahead of the March election.
Upper House MP Catherine Cusack knocked colleague Scot MacDonald from his job in a preselection ballot last week.
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