Allegra Spender/Fb; Dave Sharma/Fb
Within the Wentworth Undertaking, sponsored by the College of Canberra’s Centre for Change Governance and The Dialog, we’re tapping into voters’ opinions on this seat, which seems to be on a knife edge.
On this podcast we discuss with the 2 predominant candidates, Liberal incumbent Dave Sharma and “teal” impartial Allegra Spender, in addition to with Kerryn Phelps, the previous impartial member within the seat, who has mentored Spender and is on the advisory council of Local weather 200, which is donating to her marketing campaign.
Sharma says “Kerryn Phelps was a real impartial candidate or a extra conventional impartial candidate. […] This impartial candidate is de facto type of a franchise or social gathering operation.”
Sharma casts the teals, who’re difficult Liberals in a variety of metropolis seats, as reflecting “populism as a political drive”.
“Individuals assume populism solely belongs to the suitable due to Donald Trump. I feel the independents are principally harnessing a populist temper, which has similarities to what Donald Trump did, which is ‘a curse on all of your homes.’”
Morrison shouldn’t be campaigning within the teal seats (although he goes to Wentworth to go to his mom). Requested how a lot the Prime Minister is a drag on the vote, Sharma stresses the workforce. “Scott Morrison is the chief of our workforce and the spokesperson for the workforce. But it surely’s additionally obtained a variety of ministers in there who management totally different portfolios and we’re placing ourselves ahead, and I actually am right here, as a workforce.”
Spender says “there’s a sense amongst the group that I hear, that they really feel that the events are taking care of themselves first and the group after”.
On a attainable hung parliament, she says, “I’d be prepared to work with both social gathering, or main social gathering on provide and confidence, as a result of I need steady authorities”. She would discuss first to whichever facet had the best variety of seats.
Wentworth is seeing monumental spending. Spender says her marketing campaign will most likely spend between $1.3 and $1.5 million (with one thing below 30% anticipated to come back from Local weather 200).
She favours caps on spending and donations. “I’d prefer to see a cap in what people or firms can provide. I’d prefer to see actual time info when it comes to what has been given. After which I feel on the similar time, that you must take a look at political promoting and the way that’s used as a result of the federal government simply spent $30 million spruiking their clear vitality credentials […] instantly earlier than the election being referred to as.”
Kerryn Phelps says of Wentworth: “I’ve had a medical practise in Double Bay for round twenty years, and so I do know the group properly. It’s usually seen as an prosperous group, but it surely’s really fairly numerous. There are clearly sturdy beliefs in regards to the financial system and enterprise. And so a candidate would want to have enterprise expertise. However the individuals even have a really sturdy social conscience. They’re very environmentally conscious. And I feel that’s significantly highlighted by the truth that it’s bounded by the harbour and the ocean.”
Michelle Grattan doesn’t work for, seek the advice of, personal shares in or obtain funding from any firm or organisation that may profit from this text, and has disclosed no related affiliations past their tutorial appointment.
