Trent Zimmerman facing into his toughest election yet
Progressive Liberal Trent Zimmerman has made the previously safe seat of North Sydney his own but now faces an unprecedented threat from an independent.
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Trent Zimmerman had no way of knowing an unassuming night out was about to change his life forever.
He was out to dinner when handsome waiter Carlos Toledo caught his eye.
“Not long after Carlos came to Australia – he came here as a student – he was working at a restaurant in Woolloomooloo and I was having dinner,” Zimmerman recalls. “I sort of saw Carlos and probably after a few drinks I had a bit of dutch courage. So after I left, I gave him my number and thankfully he called.”
Toledo, who is originally from Mexico, was only supposed to be in Sydney for six months studying communications and marketing for a semester at the Australian Pacific College.
“So then we went for drinks…” Toledo begins.
“… and the rest is history,” Zimmerman concludes.
The inseparable pair are about to celebrate their fifth anniversary and share both a home in McMahons Point and an adorable cavoodle named Simba.
But it wasn’t always a fairytale for the first openly gay man to sit in the Australian House of Representatives, who will this election face his greatest challenge yet after the independent movement named business leader Kylea Tink as his opponent.
Tink is affiliated with neighbouring Warringah MP Zali Steggall, who sensationally toppled former prime minister Tony Abbott. She presents a real threat to Zimmerman and the Liberal Party’s hold on North Sydney.
The first Newspoll of the year, commissioned by The Australian, shows Labor is ahead on a two-party-preferred basis 56 to 44.
The poll also shows 41 per cent of Australians believe Labor is the best party to lead the nation’s response to climate change, compared to just 21 per cent who back the LNP.
A member of the Young Liberals since he was a teen, Zimmerman did not tell his friends and colleagues in the party about his sexuality until much later.
“I spent a lot of my 20s and 30s either in the closet or partly in the closet and it’s a really awful thing to go through because you spend your life sort of living in fear of discovery,” Zimmerman says.
“With my family, and in the Liberal Party, it was a difficult time because you were scared of being found out.
“When I did come out, it was a long process. I came out earlier on to my friends and got great support from them in the party and elsewhere.
“My last hurdle was my mother; my father had already passed away. Of course – thankfully, like most people – it was not an issue at all and that gave me confidence to really live as an openly gay man in the party and elsewhere.”
Following predecessor Joe Hockey’s retirement from parliament, Zimmerman successfully held the seat for the Liberals in the 2015 North Sydney by-election.
He gave an electric maiden speech which saw him receive an avalanche of well wishes from the LGBT community and their supporters, including many parents of young gay people who had been buoyed by his success.
“I’ve had generally since I came out a great experience but there have been tough moments in the Liberal Party and more broadly,” he says. “During the marriage equality debate there were times where I had basically pretty abusive stuff sent to me. One time it was of a nature where I did have to get the police involved.
“I think being elected helped change the dial in Canberra. I think that if I hadn’t been in parliament, if there hadn’t been three or four of us in parliament that were openly gay in the Liberal Party by the time we had the debate, we wouldn’t have marriage equality today.”
Although Zimmerman has surrounded himself with progressive members of the party, including Wentworth MP Dave Sharma, Member for Hornsby Matt Kean and former premier Gladys Berejiklian, not all of his Liberal colleagues were behind him.
“Within the Liberal Party itself (I’ve had) a 99 per cent positive experience,” he says.
“There have been people who I know behind my back have said things about it when I got elected. People said, ‘oh, this is not something you want to talk about in parliament’ and I said ‘well this is who I am’.
“I do want to be that example for every young person in Australia that diversity is a good thing and they can get to parliament and do all the things they want to and dream of in life.”
But Zimmerman is far from a one-issue politician, his parliamentary career diverse and busy.
He chairs the committee Health, Aged Care and Sport and has championed the causes of Australians living with rare diseases.
Zimmerman helped agitate for the Morrison government to make a commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, advocates for support for those working in Australia’s growing digital economy including sectors such as ICT and finance, and secured significant funding for the Sydney Harbour Legislative Trust.
During the past two years of the pandemic he has been especially busy helping constituents return home from overseas and assisting GPs struggling with allocation of vaccine supplies.
Toledo’s parents both caught Covid in Mexico but kept their diagnoses secret from their son until they had recovered as they didn’t want to worry him or distract Zimmerman from his important work.
Then there were the North Sydney residents stuck in Kabul during the terror and chaos of Afghanistan falling to the Taliban who Zimmerman put in touch with the Australian authorities.
This vast experience means Zimmerman is considered a frontrunner for cabinet should the Morrison government be re-elected. However, with the independents targeting seats held by progressive Liberals like Zimmerman and his good friend Sharma in Wentworth, that is looking like less of a certainty.
The results of the Willoughby by-election at the weekend also indicate that the Liberal Party’s grip on the north shore is loosening. Tim James is confident he will retain the seat but voters had a clear message for the state government.
The swing against the party has risen to 19 per cent, with independent Larissa Penn closing in on James. She campaigned against the Beaches Link tunnel and called for appropriately scaled developments in the area.
“The feedback I have had is that the Willoughby by-election was fought primarily on state issues,” Zimmerman says. “I have never taken any election for granted and will be working hard to talk about my plans for our wonderful area and my work in the parliament.”
Federal independent challenger Tink says she finished up her job prior to Christmas and has thrown herself into full-time campaigning ahead of the election.
She says the numbers of people subscribing to her campaign newsletter and volunteering on the team continue to grow exponentially and she has an important message for the people of North Sydney.
“The time is now. The decisions we make in the next three years at a federal government level will fundamentally affect the future of our children and grandchildren,” Tink says.
“We need faster action on climate change, we need a real federal integrity commission and we need to mature as a nation and embrace equality in all forms.
“Our current government have shown they don’t care about any of that and only care about winning a majority.”
However, Zimmerman says the independents are simply not capable of fulfilling their promises.
“I really don’t think a hung parliament would deliver the stability our country needs,” he says.
“It’s easy to make noise, but it’s actually delivering change that is the most important thing.
“I would like to think in the next term of parliament I’d have the opportunity to serve as a minister. While there are no guarantees about that, it’s something I’d like to do.
“It is important North Sydney has a seat at the table of ministers again. That’s something an independent can’t and never will be and I think it is a great opportunity for North Sydney to have members of parliament that can serve at senior levels of government in the heart of policymaking.”
Now that the election campaign is heating up, Toledo’s expeditions to the dog park with Simba are more frequently involving him returning home to faithfully relay the issues raised by their neighbours.
“I’m not really interested in politics,” Toledo says as both men laugh heartily.
“I just prefer to listen and come home and tell him just so he can know what’s going on.
“I have been with him a few times to hand out brochures but I do always take Simba with me too so I have that excuse to leave. But even if I am not there he knows that I am always supporting him.”
Another of Zimmerman’s devoted friends and supporters is Northbridge resident Berejiklian, who says she will be cheering him on all the way to the election.
“Trent’s values and the way he applies himself to the role reflect the hopes and aspirations of our community,” Berejiklian says.
“He understands what we need to protect and what we need to do to create the opportunities that allow every citizen to reach their full potential.
“We are facing challenging times, which requires courage and strong representation from our elected representatives. Trent has the intellect and courage to achieve what is best for our area.
“I very much enjoyed working with Trent to support our overlapping electorates. I witnessed first hand the compassionate way in which he dealt with constituents and community organisations.
“I also appreciated his efforts to stimulate business activity and support during these most challenging times.”
The election isn’t the only big event looming in Zimmerman’s future.
Having helped pave the way for marriage equality and on the cusp of celebrating a milestone in his own long-term committed relationship, he lets slip weddings bells are imminent.
“Carlos keeps putting out his hand when we go to weddings saying, ‘where’s my ring?’” Zimmerman says.
“I’m still waiting for it!” Toledo adds, waving his fingers cheekily.
“I’ll talk to Carlos about it first, but it’s definitely something that’s on the cards,” Zimmerman says.
Something tells me there will be a resounding vote of confidence to that particular motion.
The Election
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has yet to call the election. It must be held on a Saturday no later than May 21 after at least five weeks’ notice.
The candidates include:
Labor: Professor Catherine Renshaw
The New Liberals: Victor Kline
The Greens: Lynne Saville
Liberals: Trent Zimmerman
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