Liberal Party preselection stoush for Vaucluse

Liberal Party preselection stoush for Vaucluse

Less than six months out from the state election the Liberal Party campaign in Vaucluse kicked off with a fiery battle for preselection, culminating with former Woollahra mayor Andrew Petrie resigning from the party.

Gabrielle Upton emerged as the successful candidate after four rounds of tight voting on September 26, beating a swag of other high-calibre opponents including restaurateur Peter Doyle, former Turnbull-staffer and PR executive Mary Lou Jarvis, and Woollahra Deputy Mayor Peter Cavanagh.

While Ms Upton appeared delighted with her 80-70 victory over Peter Doyle in the final round of voting, other candidates were less pleased.

Councillor Petrie was unimpressed at only receiving a single vote in the initial stages of the process, resigning from the party on the following day.

“I didn’t expect to win, but I did expect more acknowledgement of the work that I’ve done in the community over the past 20 years,” he said.

Cr Petrie has been a member of the Liberal Party for nearly 20 years, serving four terms as mayor of Woollahra in that time, and is confused at why he received such little recognition in the preselection process.

“I thought that the lack of support was surprising and disappointing,” he said.

“It’s clear they prefer people who work in the [Liberal Party] branch over people who work out in the community,” he said. “I showed them more loyalty than they showed me.”

Mary Lou Jarvis, president of the Rose Bay branch, said Vaucluse was a prized Liberal seat and highly sought after. “The preselection was very competitive and I was pleased to have come third in my first attempt,” she said. “We’ve all moved on to support Gabrielle in becoming the next MP for Vaucluse. The Liberal party is bigger than the individual. It’s not personal.”

Support from the left wing of the party bolstered Ms Upton’s campaign for preselection, and she also received a reference from retiring Vaucluse MP Peter Debnam, as did Ms Jarvis.

Ms Upton would not comment on the internal workings of the vote beyond saying that it was a “democratic process”, choosing instead to focus on the work ahead.

“To have that opportunity to represent the Liberals in the seat of Vaucluse is a big honour,” she said. “I’m really happy to have that vote of confidence in my ability to do the job.”

With campaigning already effectively underway for the March 2011 election, Ms Upton believes the most important issues for the electorate are transport, retaining the character of the area, and making local infrastructure accessible to the aged.

“We have five months of very important hard work ahead,” she said.

– By Hamish Boland-Rudder

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