NSW state election: Vaucluse candidate Karen Freyer launches campaign at Double Bay

A state political hopeful has denounced Liberal’s ‘passive approach’ as no longer working for the eastern suburbs at her Double Bay campaign launch.

Freshly announced independent Vaucluse candidate Karen Freyer has slammed Liberal’s passive approach to the safe seat, claiming she would “persist” on overlooked issues which were important to the electorate.

“I‘m not running to find a comfortable seat for myself on the parliamentary benches,” the eastern suburbs native promised a packed room of enthusiastic supporters.

The former political strategist – who helped elect Kerryn Phelps as an independent in Wentworth’s 2018 by-election – debuted teal corflutes at her campaign launch held at Double Bay’s Royal Oak hotel on Monday night.

Ms Freyer said it was time for an activist MP in the Liberal stronghold seat, claiming she had proven political acumen to deliver on this promise.

Ms Freyer with attendees of her campaign launch at the Royal Oak, Double Bay

“I‘ve been called pushy. I’ve been called confrontational,” Ms Freyer told the crowd.

“Some people don’t like the way I persist, persist, and persist. Well, I’m sorry they feel that way. But I’m not going to stop.”

Ms Freyer said she shared the dissatisfaction with how major parties were operating which saw Allegra Spender snatch Wentworth from moderate Liberal Dave Sharma at the recent federal election.

“Lately … many of us, and that includes me, have come to feel that Macquarie St is no longer working for us,” she said.

Teal-coloured corflutes at the campaign event.

“We feel that the system is broken down, there‘s gum in the wheels. Our elected representatives no longer seem to serve the communities that put them in power, but themselves.”

The independent candidate said environmental issues, including halting new fossil fuel projects in NSW, were a top concern.

“If I’m lucky enough to be elected, I will fight tooth and nail to make sure that the NSW Government does not allow a single new coal or gas mine to be opened in our state,” Ms Freyer told the audience.

Ms Freyer with her husband Alexander Gilly and their two sons Oskar Gilly, 6, and Gabriel Gilly, 7

She said, if elected, she would push to find ways for households and businesses to shift to clean energy starting with a major rollout of electric vehicle charging stations in Vaucluse and across NSW.

Additionally she promised to reverse the privatisation of the bus and ferry network, which has reduced services, end logging on publicly-owned land, make a second public high school a reality and stamp out antisemitism which had seen a concerning re-emergence at schools in the eastern suburbs.

Photo: Renee Nowytarger

Finally Ms Freyer said she would break “the unhealthy nexus between politicians and developers”, decrying the current process as one which “leaves so many of us without any say from us, the people who live here”.

“I will fight to make sure that we, the people of Vaucluse, have a say in what gets built in our community,” she said.

“This parliament isn‘t here for politicians to have careers. It’s for the people of New South Wales to shape the future of our community.”