The secret stories of Wentworth candidates before politics
A sitting MP with an international race car licence and a blacksmith turned Fosters salesman in China are just some of the surprising origin stories of Wentworth election candidates.
Wentworth Courier
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Adoctor, a teacher, a former army marksman and a deputy mayor are among the candidates challenging Wentworth MP Kerryn Phelps for her seat, along with the Liberals’ Dave Sharma, the former diplomat narrowly beaten at last year’s by-election.
The field, which has narrowed dramatically from the 16 who stood at last year’s poll, took shape following Wednesday’s ballot draw as the frontrunners for the seat revealed their preference decisions to the Wentworth Courier. Candidates will appear on your ballot sheet in the following order:
MATTHEW DRAKE-BROCKMAN
INDEPENDENT
Former Greens candidate turned independent Matthew Drake-Brockman, scored top spot on the ticket after last week’s ballot draw.
The Public Service Association (NSW government employees union) official ran for the Greens in Warringah in 2010 and comes back with a plan to focus on Australia’s foreign policy.
Spending his early years in Wagga Wagga before moving to the eastern suburbs, Mr Drake-Brockman attended Vaucluse Primary and High School before going on to complete a degree in law.
From there, he went to work for a Palestinian organisation that monitored human rights abuses in 2003.
“I believe that aspects of Australian foreign policy — past and present — have contributed to undermining and disrespecting the human rights of some of the world’s most oppressed people and I think this needs to change,” Mr Drake-Brockman said.
He has not yet indicated any preferences.
TIM MURRAY
LABOR
Labor’s Tim Murray rounds out the ballot as another of the 2018 by-election candidates gearing up for another run at politics.
Mr Murray ran at last year’s by-election after living in China for 20 years, an experience he said “made me appreciate our Australian democracy”.
“I worked for Fosters in China and sold beer by the train-load to Mongolia,” he said. At age 18 politics might have been far from his mind taking up blacksmithing after finishing school.
Mr Murray is no stranger to Tamarama, where this edition’s pictures were shot, spending his free time as a surf lifesaver at the beach.
His core platform is making it fairer for young people to own a home, meaningful action on climate change and indigenous inclusion.
Mr Murray has preferenced Kerryn Phelps in third, ahead of Mr Sharma in fourth.
MIKE BLOOMFIELD
UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY
Experienced drummer Mike Bloomfield (pictured, far right) is hoping to make some noise in Canberra.
The North Sydney native’s first foray into politics will come under the banner of Clive Palmer’s UAP.
A lover of vintage electric guitars and riding motorcycles, Mr Bloomfield ran Citibank’s data centre in London before returning to Sydney, where he had a show for several years on 2UE.
Attending the same school as C.S. Lewis and training as a marksman in the army, Mr Bloomfield is setting his sights on the seat of Wentworth, focusing “booming Australia’s economy” and providing “strong environmental care and national water solutions”.
“Australia needs strong vision and leadership to provide a genuinely stronger economy, excellent environmental care and clean power at significantly lower cost so we can increase our production, manufacturing and farming.”
He is prefencing Dave Sharma third, ahead of Dr Phelps in fifth.
PAUL TREACY
CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Christian Democratic Party candidate Paul Treacy splits his time between working as an adult educator and developing a small tutoring business. He has put his hand up to run in Wentworth after previously running at the Ryde City Council by-election in 2017, motivated to make an impact in Canberra this time around by “freedom of speech”.
Mr Treacy hopes he will be successful this time around, campaigning on a platform of “religious rights” and “clean energy”.
“My involvement in this election is motivated by my concern about freedom of speech and freedom of religion, two aspects of Australian society that I have, until now, been very proud of,” Mr Treacy said.
“In my life, religion and individual points of view have never been targets in the way they are presently. Division is not a way to unity. God is love and love is patient, kind, and forgiving.”
Outside of campaigning and educating adults, Mr Treacy said he involves himself in home care and activities within his faith community. He has not yet indicated his preferences.
DAVE SHARMA
LIBERAL
Former Australian ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma is running again in Wentworth after a narrow loss at the 2018 by-election.
Born in Canada to parents of Indian heritage, Mr Sharma, whose dad named him Devanand after a Bollywood film star, said he was motivated to run again because he “is committed to serving Australia”.
He comes into the campaign as the fifth name on the ticket with a long resume in politics. After completing a master of arts at Cambridge, Mr Sharma worked under former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and went on to head up the international division of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet when Julia Gillard was prime minister.
“Between three young children and our two careers, Rachel and I don’t have much time for hobbies,” he said.
“But when there is some time, I’m a keen cyclist and runner, have a love of history, and am an avid reader and keen traveller.”
He is directing his first preference to the Christian Democrats and last to the Greens’ Dominic Wy Kanak last, while putting Kerryn Phelps fourth.
DOMINIC WY KANAK
THE GREENS
Coming back for another run at a spot in the 46th parliament is Waverley deputy mayor Dominic Wy Kanak (pictured, right).
At last year’s by-election Mr Wy Kanak earned 8.95 per cent of the vote for the Greens. Born in Mackay the “proud Torres Strait Islander” said his connections to the electorate date back to ancestors who passed through the area after “being black-birded on their way to being sugar cane farm slaves in far north Queensland”.
“Our community has become my ‘hobby’ because there’s always more to do as a Bondi Ward Councillor,” he said.
“After representing Bondi for nearly 20 years I feel extremely connected both culturally and socially to this area. I feel the need to be near the blue of Bondi to keep grounded.”
Before entering local government and politics, Mr Wy Kanak studied law, worked as a driver for Cate Blanchett and was part of Prince Charles’ media entourage in 1994. When not conducting duties as a councillor, the paralegal and native title consultant also works with the New South Wales Reconcilliation Council.
Mr Wy Kanak will be the sixth name on the ballot and his how-to-vote cards preference incumbent MP Dr Phelps in second, with Labor’s Tim Murray in third and Liberal Dave Sharma fifth.
KERRYN PHELPS
INDEPENDENT
Kerryn Phelps, who drewt he last spot on the ballot sheet, is already well known to the electorate.
A local GP, she came into last year’s by-election with decades of experience working in medicine.
The former president of the Australian Medical Association was the first woman elected to the role in the organisation’s history and has worked as a GP in Double Bay for the past 20 years.
Dr Phelps was elected to Sydney City Council in 2016 and served as Deputy Lord Mayor before vacating the role to run for federal parliament. Something many voters may not know is that she once held an international car racing licence.
What does the federal MP enjoy outside of parliamentary duties? “Stand-up paddle boarding, spending time with our three children and two grandchildren,” Dr Phelps said. She told the Wentworth Courier that on a national level, she plans to focus on the push for a National Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commissions while on a local level a second public high school in the eastern suburbs will play a key role in her campaign.
On preferences, Dr Phelps has embarked on a major reversal from her position in the 2018 by-election, opting not to directing preferences on her how to vote cards.
Dr Phelps told the Wentworth Courier that “my time in parliament” played a role in her latest decision to not do preference deals with the major parties.
She said she believes an open ballot to be “a very important indicator of being an independent at a general election … It does not matter so long as people put a number one next to my name.”
Last year Dr Phelps told supporters to put the Liberals last, days before preferencing Liberal Dave Sharma in what was a tactical decision designed to boost her primary vote but which provoked an outcry among left wing supporters.