Libs announce new candidate Colleen Harkin for Macnamara

After a shock exit by Christopher Ride, the Liberal Party announced its new candidate for the federal seat of Macnamara.

Colleen Harkin says she is planning to ‘hit the ground running’. Picture: Nicole Cleary

The Liberal Party have announced a new candidate for the federal seat of Macnamara after their former candidate’s shock pull just weeks out from the election.

Scrambling to find a new face after political newbie Christopher Ride’s shock exit last week, the Libs have announced former business owner and ex-political staffer, Colleen Harkin.

After unsuccessfully challenging Brighton MP James Newbury for preselection last year, Ms Harkin said she is planning to “hit the ground running.”

With 20 meet and greets planned for the coming week, the Bayside mum said: “I’m ready to work my bum off.”

Macnamara, which was originally Melbourne Ports, has had uninterrupted Labor governments for over a century and is held by Labor MP Josh Burns.

Labor member for Macnamara Josh Burns. Picture: AAP

But Ms Harkin believes that change is possible.

“The area has changed over the years, the boundaries have changed, the residents have changed, the world has changed,” Ms Harkin said.

“This seat really is winnable.”

The single mum who holds a master’s degree in education said she is keen to focus on reconnecting communities within the electorate after two years locked at home.

She said she will also be focusing on job security, national security and climate change — believing that the Liberals passion for technology, innovation and economy makes addressing climate issues “natural Liberal Party territory.”

After a decade in the IT space and years of community fundraising, Ms Harkin began working as a staffer to Senator Jane Hume at the start of this year, gaining the political experience her predecessor lacked.

A Liberal Party source said that “there was no single reason” why Mr Ride quit the campaign, putting it down to “many, many things factoring together.”

Mr Ride, who is the founder of Australia’s first large-scale environmentally friendly kelp and seaweed enterprise AusKelp, is said to now be focusing on his business interests.