Macquarie Liberal candidate self-reports after ‘solicitor’ CV reference exposed

Candidate Sarah Richards said she made an “honest mistake” by advertising herself as qualified solicitor, despite not practising for more than a decade.

The Liberal candidate contesting the most marginal electorate in the country has been spruiking herself as a “qualified solicitor,” even though she ceased practising more than a decade ago.

There is now a question over whether Macquarie candidate Sarah Richards broke the law, with a Law Society of NSW spokeswoman stating that “only a person who holds an Australian practising certificate is entitled to use the title ‘solicitor’”.

Ms Richards said she made an “honest mistake” by referring to herself as a “qualified solicitor” on networking platform LinkedIn.

She has also repeatedly referred to herself as a lawyer – including on her Liberal party profile, which describes her as a “lawyer” alongside her experience as a “community advocate” and “RFS volunteer”.

A spokeswoman said Ms Richards ceased practising as a solicitor at the end of 2007.

Ms Richards’ LinkedIn page claiming she is a “qualified solicitor” before inquiries from The Daily Telegraph.

Ms Richards’ qualifications were changed to “former solicitor” after our questions.

“This was an honest mistake, the LinkedIn CV should have referred to a ‘former solicitor’,’ rather than ‘qualified solicitor,’” Ms Richards said.

“I have updated the descriptor and will self report to the Law Society of NSW.”

Under law, a person must not represent themselves as being entitled to practice law unless they are a “qualified entity” – which includes a legal practitioner.

“An entity that falsely represents they are entitled to engage in legal practice when not entitled to do so could be committing an offence,” a Law Society of NSW spokeswoman said.

“Each case needs to be considered on its own facts and circumstances, and the specific representations made. The maximum penalty for an offence under that section is 250 penalty units ($27,500).”

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill, whose council area is in the Macquarie electorate, said that while he holds a law degree, he would not describe himself as a solicitor because he doesn’t have a practising certificate.

“As a public office holder I am very careful to always accurately represent my qualifications,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“Unless I can directly represent clients it could give my constituents a false sense of what I could do for them.”

Ms Richards updated her LinkedIn bio to accurately reflect that she is a “former solicitor” following the Telegraph’s inquiries.

INSIDE AUSTRALIA’S MOST MARGINAL ELECTORATE

Inside Australia’s most marginal federal seat of Macquarie is a tale of two cities.

The picturesque Blue Mountains is loyal to Labor but the quaint communities of Richmond and Windsor, in the Hawkesbury, are more inclined to vote Liberal.

But locals say deep-seated issues around mental health and natural disaster management don’t discriminate and support is needed right across the region.

The electorate, held by Labor’s Susan Templeman on a wafer-thin margin of 0.2 per cent, was ravaged by bushfires in late 2019 and early 2020 before being devastated by floods in 2021 and 2022.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese with Macquarie MP Susan Templeman. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Candidates from both sides are appealing to the electorate’s battered residents through a plan for more emergency resilience with Liberal Candidate Sarah Richards hoping to counter concerns from locals about Prime Minister Scott Morrison‘s performance during major crises.

“People have raised with me concerns about that but what I can say from a personal point of view, and I do tell people, is that I have known Scott Morrison for a really long time, and he has always treated me with respect,” she said.

“My passion for this community is so strong. After the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires I volunteered with the RFS here in the Hawkesbury in the communications department and then I officially joined the RFS.”

But while Ms Richards spruiked her emergency services and tourism credentials, Labor‘s Ms Templeman didn’t spare an opportunity to remind constituents of Mr Morrison’s Hawaii holiday while their electorate was ablaze.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Liberal candidate for Macquarie Sarah Richards. Picture: Adam Taylor

“What was very disappointing for the community at the time was we didn’t see the Prime Minister step up. He didn’t come to Macquarie, he didn’t speak to me. He didn’t really engage with the natural disaster that was unfolding,” she said.

Ms Templeman said she expected the Liberal federal government to throw money at the marginal community during the election campaign to “distract” from the real issues: cost of living, mental health and stagnant wages.

Amy Cotter and her partner Ryan Sammut with baby Archie. The couple lives in Macquarie. Picture: David Swift

“I would be very surprised if there is not a spate of announcements with lots of bells and whistles that are an attempt to distract people from the failure to address underlying issues,” she said.

Local mum and business owner Amy Cotter said investment in mental health, housing and childcare was what the community needed.

“Mental health is a huge thing. Susan Templeman is really pushing for mental health which is incredible. It doesn’t just affect one town or one city. it‘s something everyone can relate to,” the 36-year-old said.

She also praised the government’s performance on natural disaster management but called for more targeted support for small businesses.

“For us, the government has done quite well with the natural disasters with what they’ve offered people but more fine tuning is needed so that the right people get it. It needs to be a bit more focused on small businesses.”

Originally published as Macquarie Liberal candidate self-reports after ‘solicitor’ CV reference exposed