The once-blocked Liberal candidate with her eyes on Pittwater prize

Aspiring Liberal candidate for Pittwater Claire Longley was blocked from contesting preselection for the blue-ribbon seat ahead of the last state election after an administrative bungle left her party membership invalid.

However, the lawyer has emerged as a front runner the second time around with prominent names – including former Pittwater MP John Brogden, ex-Mackellar MP Jason Falinski and party elder Bruce Baird – backing her.

Claire Longely is contesting the Liberal preselection for Pittwater.Credit: James Brickwood

If successful, Longley will follow in her father Jim’s footsteps. He held Pittwater for a decade until 1996.

Four Liberal candidates have nominated for preselection after Pittwater was abruptly vacated by former MP Rory Amon on August 30, only hours after he was charged with historical child sex offences.

Police charged Amon with offences including five counts of having sexual intercourse in 2017 with a male child between the ages of 10 and 14. Amon has denied wrongdoing and will fight the allegations.

Michael Gencher is running for Liberal preselection in Pittwater.

As well as Longley, the Northern Beaches Council Deputy Mayor Georgia Ryburn has put up her hand along with fellow councillors Michael Gencher and Bianca Crvelin. The candidate will be chosen on Wednesday night.

Northern Beaches Council will not have a single Liberal running in this weekend’s local government election after the party’s embarrassing administrative fiasco meant it failed to nominate 140 candidates.

The debacle forced the federal arm of the party to step in and take control of the NSW division for 10 months.

Longley was favoured to win preselection to contest the 2023 election, before it emerged that she was not a financial member of the Liberal Party.

She was not given an exemption, unlike senior minister David Elliott, who was also not a financial member when he was required to nominate for preselection, but he was given special dispensation.

Amon was ultimately preselected, despite opposition from retiring MP and planning minister Rob Stokes, as well as then-premier Dominic Perrottet. He narrowly won by 606 votes, beating teal candidate Jacqui Scruby.

Sophie Stokes, a prominent northern beaches Liberal, is also supporting Longley, while her husband Rob is backing Ryburn. Former premier Mike Baird and Manly MP James Griffin are also supporting Ryburn.

While there is pressure within sections of the Liberal Party to preselect a woman in Pittwater to take on Scruby, who has confirmed she will run again, Gencher has significant grassroots support.

A senior northern beaches Liberal, who is prevented from commenting publicly due to party rules, said the preselection would be tight but Gencher had widespread backing across the electorate.

“The feeling is that Gencher will win it [the preselection],” the Liberal, who is not supporting Gencher, said.

Senior Liberals, however, fear that the seat will be impossible to hold regardless of the candidate, with party insiders expecting voter backlash over the council nominations saga.

Scruby, meanwhile, has the backing of teal federal MP Sophie Scamps. Scruby has worked as an adviser to Scamps and Warringah MP Zali Steggall.

“The people of Pittwater deserve honest and competent representation, and Jacqui will always put the community first,” Scamps said in a statement.

“On the northern beaches people have the opportunity to elect leaders who will work constructively together and across the political spectrum.”

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