Liberal candidate heaps praise on former Labor leader Jodi McKay

The Liberals’ candidate in Strathfield, Bridget Sakr, has taken the unprecedented step of writing to voters on the eve of a byelection to praise former NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay for her service.

Ms Sakr, whose 11-year-old daughter was one of four children killed by a drunk and drugged driver in 2020, said Ms McKay was a “hardworking representative for the people of Strathfield”.

The Liberals’ candidate in Strathfield, Bridget Sakr, has praised former Labor leader Jodi McKay in a letter to voters.Credit: Anna Kucera

The letter, sent to voters on Friday afternoon, makes no mention of NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, but instead praises Ms McKay and describes her as an “inspiration for women”.

“While we might have political differences, I respect Jodi’s work for our area,” Ms Sakr’s letter says.

“And like Gladys Berejiklian, she was an inspiration for women like me who want to serve their community. Now, with Jodi retiring, Strathfield needs a new representative and we have a chance to have a strong local voice inside the government.”

Ms Sakr, a businesswoman, was preselected by the Liberals to take on Labor candidate Jason Yat-sen Li in Strathfield, which is considered a marginal seat on 5 per cent.

Ms McKay quit state politics late last year, several months after standing down as the Labor leader.

Her leadership came under threat after Labor’s poor showing in the Upper Hunter byelection last May and long-time leadership aspirant Chris Minns eventually replaced her in the top job.

Independent Elizabeth Farrelly, who is also contesting Strathfield, met Labor Party officers in December to talk about running in Newtown.

However, Ms Farrelly, a former columnist for this masthead, is now running as an independent, which could pose problems for Labor if she takes some of their votes.

Despite her departure from politics, Ms McKay has been supporting Mr Li on the campaign trail, and has posted photos on social media of the pair visiting temples in the electorate.

Strathfield is one of four electorates going to the polls on Saturday.

Labor candidate for Strathfield Jason Yat-sen Li and former NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay at the Shirdi Sai Temple.Credit: Instagram

Former NSW premier Ms Berejiklian sent a letter of support for Liberal candidate Tim James in Willoughby, which also made no mention of Mr Perrottet. Former transport minister Andrew Constance did the same for the party’s candidate in Bega, Fiona Kotvojs.

Mr James was not Ms Berejiklian’s pick to replace her in the ultra-safe Liberal seat. Ms Berejiklian supported Willoughby mayor Gail Giles-Gidney, while former federal treasurer Joe Hockey backed journalist-turned- executive Kellie Sloane.

For the first time in history, all voters in the four electorates, which also includes Monaro, have been sent a postal voting pack, which could delay the final declaration of results by weeks.

Willoughby, which Labor is not contesting, is the only seat that is likely to have a result on Saturday.

If the government loses any seats, it will be pushed further into minority and will rely on the crossbench to pass legislation.

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