Liberal MP Gabrielle Upton confident of a win in Vaucluse
Vaucluse Liberal MP Gabrielle Upton is confident that a swing in the Wentworth Federal by-election which saw independent MP Kerryn Phelps take Malcolm Turnbull’s former seat will not trickle down to the state level.
Wentworth Courier
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The 2015 election saw Liberal MP Gabrielle Upton cruise to victory in the eastern suburbs seat of Vaucluse with 65 per cent of the vote, though sentiment from volunteers and voters at the Bondi Beach Public School polling booth suggests the margin may be tighter this time around.
The incumbent Liberal candidate is confident that a swing in the Wentworth Federal by-election will not trickle down to the state level as her constituents headed to the booths today.
Those same constituents just months ago elected independent MP Kerryn Phelps in the wake of Malcolm Turnbull’s ousting as prime minister.
The Environment Minister was joined by a hefty contingent of supporters, campaigners and well-wishing voters while campaigning at the polling booth today.
However, Ms Upton also faced questions from a number of constituents over her stance on a second public high school for the area and the environment.
The former, she said, was not needed right now.
Should she be elected, Environment Minister Ms Upton said she plans to push forward and deliver on election commitments made on the campaign.
“I’ve still got work to do,” she said in the beaming sunshine at Bondi Beach Public School.
“Getting people more public transport options is how you improve peoples’ lifestyles.
“Transport choices are the biggest issues.
“On the environment front we’ve got the closure of waste water being pumped after 30 years.
“Environmentally, I want to see that project go through, it is really really important.”
Volunteers for both the Labor and Animal Justice parties have also claimed to have convinced a number of Liberal voters to change their minds.
A Liberal party staffer said they expected “a hit” and a swing against Ms Upton in the wake of the Wentworth Federal by-election, though anticipated the incumbent to hold her seat.
One Labor party volunteer, who handed out how to vote cards at the same polling booth in 2015, said more fence-sitting constituents had regretted their choices four years ago and wanted to be convinced on other options.
When asked, a number of random voters also claimed to be voting differently than they did in 2015.
Vaucluse candidates for the Greens, Labor, Liberal and Animal Justice parties have all spent the day campaigning at the Bondi Beach State School polling booth.