Sydney Morning Herald: 27 October 2022
Families and Communities Minister and upper house MP Natasha Maclaren-Jones wasted no time throwing her hat in the ring for a tilt at the northern beaches seat of Pittwater as soon as Infrastructure Minister Rob Stokes confirmed he would be retiring from state parliament.
It was just an hour after Stokes’ widely anticipated retirement statement was sent, and Maclaren-Jones was declaring her desire to move to the lower house, where Liberal women are few and far between. Stokes wanted a woman to replace him but apparently his branch members did not heed the clear message sent to the Liberal Party at the federal election. …
With the veteran Liberal and Health Minister Brad Hazzard announcing his retirement this week, joining the conga lines of Liberals and Nationals jumping ship (they now number 12), teal independents are circling. And are they organised! They are holding events, scouting for candidates and know how to run campaigns.
Hazzard’s seat is being targeted by the Wakehurst Independents, who intend to run a candidate on a platform of “climate action, integrity, environment and transparency”. In Pittwater, the independents hope to repeat the success of MacKellar MP Sophie Scamps at the federal election. The group’s website says: “Independent Pittwater aims to encourage and strengthen this growing tide of community sentiment for independent representation.”