John Alexander comes back to Bennelong with Epping move

Liberal Member for Bennelong John Alexander in Eastwood, down the hill from his new home in Epping. Picture: AAP

Almost two years after he sold his Putney home for $2.7 million, tennis pro turned pollie John Alexander once again has a residence in his electorate of Bennelong - just in time for his upcoming challenge by Brian Owler, Labor’s latest high-profile challenger for the Sydney north shore seat.

There’s nothing like a bit of medical attention to focus the mind.

“I’ve moved into Epping,” Alexander told Margin Call, assuring us he had signed the one-year lease for his new place weeks before Owler, a former Australian Medical Association president, was on Tuesday revealed by Bill Shorten as Labor’s candidate for Bennelong.

Alexander has been living a 30 km commute away from the seat - on the other side of Sydney Harbour - at his wealthy partner Deborah Chadwick’s pad in North Bondi (in what is now Kerryn Phelps’ electorate of Wentworth).

Labor had a lot of fun with that arrangement when Kristina Keneally ran against the tennis pro at a by-election last year that was triggered by Alexander’s UK citizenship.

New ALP candidate Brian Owler lives a bit further north. Picture: AAP

Owler lives in Wahroonga (part of Paul Fletcher’s Bradfield electorate), which is not far from where Dave Sharma was living in Turramurra before he relocated to Bellevue Hill to fight the Wentworth by-election.

“Dr Owler lives a lot closer [to Bennelong] than John Alexander, who lives in North Bondi,” a Labor spokesman told us on Owler’s behalf.

PM Scott Morrison, federal Liberal director Andrew Hirst and NSW Liberal director Chris Stone will be relieved at least that line of attack against the former tennis pro will be dulled with the new arrangement.

For the Liberal campaign team, Alexander’s Bennelong restoration could not have happened soon enough.