Wakehurst, NSW election: Toby Williams chosen as Liberal candidate to replace Brad Hazzard

Liberal supporters on the northern beaches won’t get the chance to vote for a female Liberal candidate at the March 25 state election.

Men only: The Liberal candidates for northern beaches electorates at the March 25, 2023 election. Clockwise: Toby Williams (Wakehurst), Matt Cross (Davidson), Rory Amon (Pittwater) and James Griffin (Manly).

An internal party vote to pick a man to fight the state election in the seat left vacant by retiring MP Brad Hazzard means the Liberals have no female candidates in the four northern beaches’ electorates.

Toby Williams, a senior staffer in Mr Hazzard’s electorate office for six years who is on the Board at Dee Why RSL Club, soundly defeated businesswoman and long term party member Wendy Finianos in a preselection ballot on Saturday.

The vote by Liberal branch members in the seat of Wakehurst was 70 to 49 in favour of Mr Williams.

Ms Finianos was beaten despite having written references from NSW Treasurer Matt Kean, who has been vocal about the need for the Liberals to have more women in parliament, and Planning Minister Anthony Roberts.

Mr Williams, 28, who had the backing of his influential boss, is now expected to step down from his role at the RSL club.

Toby Williams, who was chosen to represent the Liberals in Wakehurst at the March 2023 election. Picture: Supplied

But it is expected that his election opponents, especially Labor and the Greens, will pressure him to reveal his stance on problem poker machine gambling and cashless poker machines during the lead up to the March 25 election.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has said he will soon release details of the government’s gambling reforms including a move to “cashless gaming” as part of its response to a Crime Commission report into organised crime and money laundering.

Wendy Finianos, the long term Liberal Party member, who lost Saturday’s preselection ballot 70 to 49. Picture: LinkedIn

Labor has already said it would cut the number of poker machines and conduct a cashless gaming trial of 500 machines.

“Toby is a director at a huge club and he’ll pressured on his thoughts about poker machine gambling,” a senior local Liberal said.

The preselection of Mr Williams comes after months of Liberal Party infighting about whether more women should be selected to run.

Treasurer Matt Kean, at a press conference at Manly in December, had been calling on the Liberals to pick more female candidates. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Late last year Mr Kean declared the party’s branches were “not reflecting the community” and risked losing voters by refusing to preselect woman in a number of winnable seats — including those on the northern beaches.

Mr Perrotet has also called for more women candidates and declared that the party needed to attract “greater diversity,”.

But as well as Mr Williams getting he nod, Northern Beaches councillor, and lawyer, Rory Amon, ended up the only preselection candidate in Pittwater.

Rory Amon, the Liberal candidate for Pittwater at the March 25, 2023 election. Picture: NSW Liberals

In Davidson, Matt Cross, a former senior Liberal ministerial staffer, will run after the retirement of sitting MP Jonathon O’Dea.

Mr Cross defeated Roads Minister and Upper House MP, Natalie Ward, who wanted to move into the parliament’s lower house, in a preselection vote.

Matt Cross, the Liberal candidate for Davidson at the March 25, 2023 election. Picture: NSW Liberals

In Manly, sitting MP James Griffin was not challenged as Liberal candidate.

Mr Williams, who has built up significant local party support, was considered the most likely candidate for his work in the electorate.

He is president of the Manly Warringah Football Referees Association and a Salvation Army volunteer and has strong popular support among party members locally.

In a brochure Mr Williams prepared for preselectors Mr Hazzard wrote: “I am supporting Toby to be the Liberal Party’s candidate because his commitment to Wakehurst is beyond measure.

State Liberal MP for Manly James Griffin was not challenged for preselection. Picture: Monique Harmer

“He has strong connections in the community and has earned the respect of locals, community groups and businesses.”

Whoever wins preselection on Saturday will be up against The Greens candidate, Ethan Hrnjak, who ran in the federal election in May in the seat of Mackellar.

Labor has also chosen a candidate, community activist Sue Wright.

There has been growing speculation that Michael Regan, who has been mayor of the former Warringah Council and the amalgamated Northern Beaches Council since 2008, would run in Wakehurst as an independent.

He is yet to make his decision public.