Paul Fletcher and Nicolette Boele battle for Bradfield in the 2022 federal election

Long-serving Liberal powerbroker Paul Fletcher’s fight to retain his seat of Bradfield against ‘teal independent’ Nicolette Boele will be as fierce as any election day battle.

With independents descending on the electorates north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, not even a 16.6 per cent swing is enough to allow Paul Fletcher to relax in his blue ribbon seat of Bradfield.

Buoyed by the success of Zali Steggall in Warringah and the near defeat of Gladys Berejiklian’s successor in Willoughby by independent Larissa Penn, aspiring cross benchers Kylea Tink in North Sydney and Nicolette Boele in Bradfield are hitting the hustings hard.

Boele says it was a chance meeting with Fletcher himself which ultimately to convinced to her run.

Nicolette Boele is challenging longstanding Liberal Member Paul Fletcher in the seat of Bradfield. Picture: John Appleyard

It was late 2021, Australia had just made its net zero commitment at Copenhagen and the NSW Liberal Treasurer Matt Kean had publicly called for more ambitious targets.

“I’d never met Paul Fletcher in my life and suddenly there he was on the street,” Boele.

“Long story short, I went up to him and I said, ‘are you like Matt Kean and wished we could have got there sooner?’

“He said to me, ‘don’t underestimate how hard it was to get a 2050 target’. That wasn’t the answer I wanted.”

Boele said her decision was sealed when her 20-year-old son, who will be casting his first vote in the upcoming election, asked her what kind issues he should be researching.

“I almost said to him, ‘don’t even bother – it’s a really safe seat’. But I didn’t. I shut myself up and instead I decided to run to represent the community.”

Ms Boele is not giving up without a fight. Picture: John Appleyard

As a career executive with a passion for sustainable energy (she currently advises The Good Car Company to scale and bring affordable electric vehicles to the Australian marketplace) pursuing financial success while taking climate action is Boele’s speciality.

Fletcher on the other hand, is busy juggling his usual job of advocating for constituents with his cabinet position as Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts and now campaigning.

Many of his recycled corflutes depict a younger version of Fletcher who has held the seat since he beat out 22 other candidates in the 2009 by-election triggered by the resignation of former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson.

Fletcher, who recently added a new electric powered heat pump hot water system to his home which already boasted a 5kw rooftop solar system, said climate action was on the LNP’s agenda.

Member for Bradfield Paul Fletcher in his Lidfield electoral office. Picture: John Appleyard

“We’ve made an emissions reduction commitment of net zero by 2050, we met our Kyoto targets and beat them and we are very confident of meeting the Paris agreement,” Fletcher said.

“Australia is already more than 20 per cent below our 2005 emission levels which is a better performance than Canada, New Zealand and the US.”

Fletcher said he too had been hitting the campaign trail visiting schools, aged care homes and public transport hubs where constituents concerned about housing affordability and the cost of living were keen to learn more about the Home Loan Guarantee Scheme and the government’s cuts to the fuel excise.

When asked about the challenge from Boele, Fletcher said he certainly wasn’t resting on his laurels.

Fletcher is running for Bradfield for the sixth time. Picture: John Appleyard

“It is very important that I am campaigning and that I’m working hard for the people who elect me and it’s their choice of course, the choice of the people of Bradfield who they want to be their representative,” Fletcher said.

“My view has always been it’s an extraordinary privilege to represent the people of Bradfield. It’s an extraordinary community I’m very privileged to represent.

“I’ve been chosen at five successive elections but I never take it for granted.”

Boele has taken out the coveted top position in the ballot draw for Bradfield.

She is followed by Labor’s David Gordon Brigden and the Greens Martin Cousins.

Fourth spot goes to independent Janine Kitson, fifth to the United Australia Party’s Rob Fletcher with the incumbent Liberal member Fletcher in sixth and the last place allocated to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate Michael Lowe.