Election 2022: Big ask for most as diverse mix of Liberal candidates locked in

Scott Morrison has succeeded in his bid to preselect a majority of women and ethnically diverse candidates to stand for parliament in NSW.

Liberal candidate Maria Kovacic will take on Labor’s Andrew Charlton in Parramatta. Jane Dempster/The Australian.

Scott Morrison has succeeded in his bid to preselect a majority of women and ethnically diverse candidates to stand for parliament in NSW, but party officials remain doubtful victory will be achieved in critical seats.

In what is shaping as a must-watch election battle, Mr Morrison has selected businesswoman Maria Kovacic to stand against Labor’s Andrew Charlton in the seat of Parramatta, held by the ­opposition on a margin of 3.5 per cent.

Of the nine spots available, the Prime Minister leaned heavily ­towards females. Candidates chosen include real estate agent Courtney Nguyen for the seat of Fowler, lawyer Jenny Ware for the seat of Hughes, Katherine Deves for the seat of Warringah, and local councillor Katrina Wark for the seat of Newcastle, as well as Ms Kovacic.

The decision to run a high number of female candidates, as well as those from ethnic backgrounds, follows a difficult period for the Prime Minister, who has been criticised for alienating women. In recent days he has also denied allegations of racially vilifying a political rival, Michael Towke, who ran against Mr Morrison for preselection in the seat of Cook, in Sydney’s south, in 2007.

Ms Kovacic is the director of the Franchise Council of Australia and sits on several boards and committees. She holds an advisory position with the Parramatta Eels NRL club and is deputy chair of the Australian-New Zealand Croatian Women in Leadership.

Her opponent, Mr Charlton, a managing director at consulting firm Accenture and a former economic adviser to Kevin Rudd, is being touted by some within the party as a potential leader.

 

But unlike Ms Kovacic, Mr Charlton lives outside of the electorate, in the suburb of Bellevue Hill in Sydney’s east, although he has committed to moving if he is elected. The seat is currently held by outgoing Labor MP Julie Owens. Several Liberal MPs said it was unlikely to swing to the Morrison government.

In Fowler, a seat held for more than a decade by Labor’s Chris Hayes, the Liberal Party has endorsed Ms Nguyen, a real estate agent of Vietnamese heritage. Her opponent, senator Kristina Keneally, is a former NSW premier who, like Mr Charlton, lives outside the electorate.

The Liberal candidate for Fowler, Courtney Nguyen.

Senator Keneally has provided assurances she will move to the seat if successful on polling day, however her endorsement angered some in Labor who ­argued that she edged out a viable local candidate, Tu Le, and ­deprived the party of an opportunity to signal its commitment to diversity.

“A well-run campaign would exploit that,” said a NSW cabinet minister, referring to Labor’s decision to deploy Mr Charlton and Senator Keneally, instead of local talent. Asked whether victory was possible in either Parramatta or Fowler, the minister expressed doubt. “Parramatta more (likely) than Fowler,” they said.

This view was backed by ­numerous senior NSW Liberals. They described Fowler as practically unwinnable owing to its substantial margin of almost 14 per cent. “She (Ms Nguyen) doesn’t stand a chance,” said one NSW cabinet minister. “It’s what we call a ‘dead red’, which means Labor always wins. The only people who run in ‘dead reds’ are people who use it as a name opportunity.”

A third NSW minister was even more scathing, suggesting there was a “zero per cent chance” of success in either electorate: “The polling is dreadful. The wheels are really coming off the bus.”

Mr Morrison’s choice of candidates remained in doubt until Tuesday afternoon when the NSW Court of Appeal struck out a case brought by Liberal Party member Matthew Camenzuli.