Liberal’s Lincoln Parker does a ‘Steven Bradbury’ after Jane Buncle withdraws from Warringah race

The Liberal’s battle to regain the formerly blue ribbon Sydney seat of Warringah from Zali Steggall has taken a dramatic twist.

A conservative member of the Liberal Party looks to have done a “Steven Bradbury” in the race to take on Zali Steggall at the federal election after the favoured candidate pulled out of a preselection contest.

Manly barrister Jane Buncle, 34, was confirmed as a preselection candidate to represent the Libs against Ms Steggall, the popular independent MP for Warringah. The vote was expected to be held later this month.

But Ms Buncle, described by her supporters as a “moderate” with a belief in action on climate change, told party officials on Monday night that she had changed her mind.

Barrister Jane Buncle has withdrawn from the Liberal preselection contest in the Federal seat of Warringah. Picture: Tenth Floor Chambers

Lincoln Parker, 49, from Queenscliff, is now the only candidate left in the preselection race.

Steven Bradbury won a gold medal in the 1000m speed skating event at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in the U. S. when the four other finalists, who were all ahead of him, crashed on the last lap, leaving him to skate alone over the finish line.

A local Liberal Party source said Ms Buncle has stepped aside because she was frustrated that the preselection process was dragging on and not leaving her enough time, if she won the party’s endorsement, to develop and mount an election campaign against Ms Steggall, who has a healthy 7.2 per cent margin in Warringah.

“The decision to drop out was about frustrations with delays in the party machine holding the preselection vote,” the source said.

It is understood that Ms Buncle told party officials that it was a “difficult decision to not proceed with my nomination”.

She told the party that she had been urging the party to hold the Warringah preselection “as soon as possible”.

“She wanted to be in the field and playing the game and not waiting for someone to pull their finger out,” the source said.

But the Liberal Party’s State Executive, or the Federal Party, could still decide to impose a different candidate ahead of Mr Parker.

The Manly Daily reported last month Mr Parker had been put under pressure by some senior Liberal figures to withdraw from the Warringah preselection contest.

Lincoln Parker, is now the only candidate running for preselection for the Liberal party in the federal seat of Warringah. Picture: Sky News

But sources said that Mr Parker, who is aligned with the conservative side of the party, had been vigorously campaigning among local Liberal Party members, seeking their preselection votes.

Mr Parker chairs the Liberal Party (NSW) Defence & National Security Policy Branch and has worked in defence research and technology development”and had “worked for the Australian government, and at its consulates in San Francisco and New York.

Mr Parker is also a regular contributor to Sky News political opinion shows.

His nomination will now be officially examined by a Nomination Review Committee. The findings of the review will then be handed to the Liberal’s State Executive to be signed off.

Last month a Liberal Party federal vice-president, Teena McQueen, described Mr Parker as a “fabulous and outstanding guy” when speaking with Sky News commentator Chris Smith about the Warringah preselection battle.”

Under Liberal Party rules preselection candidates cannot comment to the media prior to the preselection vote.