Wakehurst, NSW election: Vote for Liberal candidate set down for Saturday
Senior Liberals are backing a woman in a preselection vote for Wakehurst to be held this week, but the male candidate vying to run in the safe seat has strong local support.
Manly
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A decision on whether a woman will represent the Liberal Party in a northern beaches seat at the upcoming state election will be made on Saturday.
Long time party member and business woman Wendy Finianos will be up against Toby Williams, a senior electorate staffer, in a long awaited preselection vote to become the Liberal’s candidate in Wakehurst.
About 130 local party members are eligible to cast a ballot at the vote to be held at Dee Why RSL at 10am.
The preselection comes after months of controversy surrounding Liberal Party infighting about whether more women should be selected to run at the March 25 election.
Treasurer Matt Kean, an influential moderate figure in the party, has been vocal about the need for the Liberals to have more women in parliament.
Late last year he declared the party’s branches were “not reflecting the community” by refusing to preselect female candidates in a number of winnable seats — including those on the northern beaches.
Mr Kean called for the Liberal nomination process in Pittwater to be reopened to allow 28-year-old consultant Claire Longley to run for preselection.
Northern Beaches councillor, and lawyer, Rory Amon, ended up the only preselection candidate and was endorsed.
In Davidson, Matt Cross, a former senior Liberal ministerial staffer, will run after the retirement of sitting MP Jonathon O’Dea.
He defeated Roads Minister and Upper House MP, Natalie Ward, who wanted to move into the parliament’s lower house, in a preselection vote.
Mr Williams, who has worked for retiring Wakehurst MP Brad Hazzard for six years and has built up significant local party support, was considered the most likely candidate for his work in the electorate.
But the Manly Daily has been told that Ms Finianos, who has a banking and insurance background, runs her own consulting firm and is prominent in community organisations including Rotary, has the backing of leading figures in the moderate and right factions of the party.
Mr Kean has provided her with a preselection reference.
Planning Minister Anthony Roberts, of the right, has also written her a reference. Another reference was provided by the NSW Liberal’s Women’ Council president, Jacqui Munro, a moderate.
At an “afternoon drinks” function in Manly Leagues Club on Sunday for Ms Finianos to speak with some of the preselectors, the moderate Liberal Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure, spoke and described her as a “very, very good grassroots candidate”.
Mr Williams, who is on the Board at Dee Why RSL Club and is president of the Manly Warringah Football Referees Association, is understood not to have any factional allegiances, but has strong popular support among party members locally.
It is understood he has a glowing reference from Mr Hazzard.
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.
“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.
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