PM’s pick Katherine O’Regan firms as favourite for Wentworth preselection

The favourite to win Liberal preselection for the seat of Wentworth is a former long-time political staffer in her early 50s.

Katherine O'Regan is favourite to contest Wentworth for the Liberals. Picture: AAP

The favourite to win Liberal preselection for the seat of Wentworth is a former long-time political staffer in her early 50s who has recently been deputy mayor of Woollahra council.

Katherine O’Regan, whom Liberal Party sources say is favourite to win preselection for the seat tonight, is seen as the most likely to win after Scott Morrison stipulated that he wanted a woman to contest the seat.

Ms O’Regan was chief of staff to former O’Farrell government minister Robyn Parker when Ms Parker tied herself in knots over a leak from an Orica plant near Stockton in Newcastle in 2011.

Liberal Party powerbrokers were last night understood to be trying to discourage former Australian ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma from running, amid fears he could steal the preselection away tonight — against the Prime Minister ’s wishes.

With independent Kerryn Phelps expected to put her hand up for the seat, polling has found a female Liberal candidate could beat the 39 per cent primary vote the Liberal Party is currently recording by three or four points.

Mr Sharma also lives outside the seat, a weakness the government fears his opponents could ­exploit.

Yesterday, Speaker Tony Smith confirmed the by-election, which will determine whether Mr Morrison hangs on to his one-seat majority, will take place on Oct­ober 20, meaning there will be a five-week campaign.

Ms O’Regan did not return calls yesterday but her backers suggested she could get as many as 80 votes in the 120-vote local component of the 206-vote ballot.

Ms O’Regan is a former staffer to former federal sports minister Warwick Smith and is president of the Double Bay Chamber of Commerce as well as running her own consulting firm, KTO.

Backing Ms O’Regan are former Waverley mayor Sally Betts and Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios.

Federal MP Trent Zimmerman had been behind Mr Sharma but had switched his allegiance to Ms O’Regan, party sources said.

The other female candidate with a slim chance is Woollahra councillor Mary Lou Jarvis.

Supporters of another contender, former member Peter King, released polling yesterday and a letter to preselectors that suggested Mr King had a better chance than others in the seat.

The polling of 400 locals, by Sexton Marketing Group, had the Liberals 50-50 with Labor on a two-party-preferred basis if Mr King ran and 47-53 if he did not.

Another candidate trying to come through the middle is Richard Shields, a former Liberal deputy state director and Insur­ance Council of Australia manager. His odds have come down from $26 to $5.

Andrew Bragg had been the frontrunner for preselection but pulled out of the contest on Monday, saying a woman had a better chance of winning and denying there were smears being pushed against him.