Craig Laundy will work ‘tirelessly’ alongside new Liberal candidate for Reid

Craig Laundy has vowed to campaign “tirelessly” to help the Liberals retain the seat of Reid after making the “bittersweet” decision to quit federal politics for family reasons.

Craig Laundy has stepped aside as the federal member for Reid. Picture: Adam Yip

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Craig Laundy has vowed to campaign “tirelessly” to help the Liberals retain the seat of Reid after making the “bittersweet” decision to quit federal politics for family reasons.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Inner West Courier, Mr Laundy said Prime Minister Scott Morrison had welcomed his offer to work shoulder to shoulder on the hustings with his replacement as the clock continues to tick down to the federal election.

He said the party’s “rank and file” should lock in the new Liberal contender for Reid “in the coming week”.

Mr Laundy denied he quit politics out of fear he would lose to Labor’s Sam Crosby (pictured). Photo by Anna Kucera

“I will be extremely active in this campaign; it will be as if I’m the candidate in terms of my approach,” Mr Laundy said.

He “hoped” the Liberals could hold onto the marginal seat and was willing to “work tirelessly to make that happen”.

“I think we’re in with one hell of a chance and we need to fight tooth and nail to do it.

“I’m not saying it’s not going to be tough; it’s going to be a ding dong battle.

“But I think the people of Reid are switched on cookies with common sense and my great hope is that an election campaign exposing the differences in policies between the Liberal and Labor Party will mean we hold the seat.”

Mr Laundy denied he threw in the towel because he was afraid he would lose to Labor candidate Sam Crosby, who has been campaigning relentlessly for a year.

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The seat, which the Liberals hold on a thin margin of 4.7 per cent, was an ALP stronghold from its creation in 1922 until the Liberals won it for the first time with Mr Laundy in 2013.

“I’m personally of the view that if I stood at the next election I would retain the seat,” Mr Laundy said.

“But I’m a participant not a commentator; others can have their opinion on whether or not that’s correct but (Mr Crosby had) absolutely had nothing to do with my decision, which was completely based around family reasons.”

“To be a member of parliament, you have to put the people who you serve, and for me that has been the people of Reid, ahead of your family, if you are to repay the faith they put in you.

“Over the past 12 months, my family have faced a number of challenges, and as a father, husband and son, I’ve made the difficult decision to quit politics to put them first.”

Mr Laundy pictured at Concord Golf Club in 2016.

He was also hopeful the Liberals could win the federal election.

“We have a herculean fight on our hands; we are the underdog but Australians love an underdog and it means you get out there and have a red hot go and see how you go.”

He said the NSW Liberals “deserve” to win the state election but agreed it would be “close”.

“I think the (NSW Liberals) have not only done what they said they would do, they have overachieved,” he said.

“They are in the process of transforming this state in ways that I don’t think even they would have imagined in 2011.”

He believed Liberal John Sidoti would easily retain Drummoyne and Labor’s Jodi McKay would most likely hold onto Strathfield at this Saturday’s state election.

“I’ve worked very closely with Jodi over the last four years and she is an extremely hard working, competent local member and again I’m not close enough to the ground to have a definitive say on what her fortunes hold but I’d be surprised if she weren’t to win,” Mr Laundy said.

Mr Laundy (right) was a key ally of Malcolm Turnbull, who is pictured arriving for the leadership spill with Arthur Sinodinos. Picture: Kym Smith

After the election he plans to “go back to work in the family business” — Laundy Hotels — which owns several venues including Crossways Hotel in Strathfield South and the Horse and Jockey in Homebush.

He dismissed the idea that voters living in Sydney’s west could not relate to him because he lived in a luxury mansion in Hunters Hill.

“Absolteyly not, I’ve lived in the electorate for 46 years of my life and my ties to the electorate are four generations long,” he said.

“I understand how the people of Reid think because I’ve been one of them for the overwhelming majority of life.”

Mr Laundy said he was “sad” to step down as the MP for Reid where he had achieved a lot in the last six years including working with the NSW Liberals to deliver WestConnex.

Investing in local children’s wellbeing by providing better facilities at Abbotsford and Burwood soccer clubs and at Concord Giants AFL had been “very rewarding”.

One of his proudest moments was intervening to prevent the wrongful deportation of a Korean family who had deep roots in the local community.