Liberal Nicolle Flint the spark for ALP assault

First-term Liberal MP Nicolle Flint is fighting to retain her marginal electorate of Boothby.

Boothby MP Nicolle Flint. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

First-term Liberal MP Nicolle Flint is fighting to retain her marginal­ electorate of Boothby, with senior Labor figures, unions and left-wing activist group GetUp ­descending on the suburban Adelaid­e seat.

Ms Flint is one of half a dozen government MPs being targeted by GetUp as the group seeks to oust “hard right” MPs.

A climate change rally yesterday in the seaside suburb of Glenelg­ will be followed by an “environmen­tal forum” for Boothby candidates tonight. Ms Flint will not participate in the forum, labelling it a “stunt”.

The 40-year-old also had members of the nurses and teachers unions protest at her Marion ­office yesterday.

“While Labor and their union and GetUp mates are focused on staging stunts and bombarding local residents with negative persona­l attacks on me, I’m getting on with the job of delivering for my community,” Ms Flint said.

“While union protesters were waving signs outside my electorate office and GetUp was staging a photo opportunity at Glenelg, I was attending a local community event where I talked with local students and their parents about what issues are important to them.”

Ms Flint, a conservative faction member, holds Boothby by a ­notional margin of 2.7 per cent. She has been criticised for her support­ of Peter Dutton in last year’s Liberal leadership coup.

Labor has preselected staffer Nadia Clancy, who has been joined on the hustings by several senior party figures in recent weeks. Labor’s infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese this week announced a plan to fast-track infrastructure spending in the seat.

GetUp campaigner Renaire Druery said polling found climate change was the top issue in Boothby. “While Boothby voters are demanding leadership and solutions to the climate crisis, Nicolle Flint is nowhere to be seen,” she said.

The nurses union said Boothby was one of 25 marginal electorates being targeted. The union’s Rob Bonner said its campaign was prompted by the Coalition’s ­failure to regulate aged-care staffing levels.