The LGBTI candidates firming up for the NSW elections

The LGBTI candidates firming up for the NSW elections
Image: NSW Parliament House (Photo: Ann-Marie Calilhanna; Star Observer)

IT’S likely NSW will see at least two openly-gay Liberal upper house MPs elected in March’s state election following the finalisation of the party’s Legislative Council ticket.

Meanwhile, gay candidates from the other major parties are also steadily being confirmed.

The Liberal Party’s preselection process for the Legislative Council, held earlier this month, has seen a political comeback Shayne Mallard, the former City of Sydney councillor and one-time president of the party’s youth arm.

While the inner workings of Liberal preselection are kept under wraps by the party, it’s understood by the Star Observer that Mallard finished in one of the higher positions for an incoming candidate, virtually guaranteeing him a seat in the next parliament.

Mallard, who runs a catering business with his partner Jesper Hansen and is a senior policy adviser to the Mayor of Liverpool, served on Sydney council from 2004 -2012 and the former South Sydney Council from 2000.

On the left faction of the party and a supporter of LGBTI rights, Mallard lost to Clover Moore in the 2008 Sydney mayoral election and independent challenger Alex Greenwich in the 2012 by-election for the state electorate of Sydney, picking up almost a third of the vote.

Talking the the Star Observer, Mallard said: “I am honoured by the trust and opportunity the Liberal party has placed in me to be a candidate for the NSW Legislative Council.

“This new exciting challenge continues my lifetime of community service and I look forward to working with the many communities and advocates from across the state including the diverse GLBT community.”

Labor is expected to regain some ground from their defeat in 2011 but current predictions are for a Coalition victory with the partners’ upper house tally of 10 seats likely to remain broadly similar.

If Mallard is elected he will join long-standing upper house Liberal MP and Legislative Council president Don Harwin in the chamber.

Harwin, who publicly confirmed he was gay last month, said it was great privilege to be endorsed to run.

“I am proud to be campaigning for re-election of a government that is rebuilding NSW and has backed some significant reforms that the LGBTI community have been seeking including the abolition of the so-called ‘homosexual panic’ defence and the expungement of historical homosexual convictions,” he said.

He said he was looking forward to serving with Mallard and openly-gay Coogee state Liberal MP Bruce Notley-Smith, who is re-contesting for his electorate.

However, high-profile Sydney councillor and Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s lesbian sister Christine Forster lost her bid to get onto the Liberal ticket, with speculation her lack of factional alignment may have scuppered her chances.

While Forster did not comment on the preselection process she said she was “100 per cent committed” to her City of Sydney constituents and confirmed her intention to run again in the 2016 council elections.

On the opposition benches, openly-gay MP Helen Westwood will recontest her upper house seat at the March elections.

Meanwhile, vast swathes of Sydney’s inner-city and LGBTI-centric neighbourhoods could be represented by LGBTI candidates.

Gay candidates will go head-to-head in the Sydney electorate, with incumbent independent MP Alex Greenwich facing off against the Greens’ Chris Brentin.

Shadow transport minister Penny Sharpe is looking to put the newly-created seat of Newtown into the Labor column.

Western Sydney candidates will also have an openly-gay candidate, with David Bate contesting Blacktown for the Greens.

(Main photo: Ann-Marie Calilhanna; Star Observer)

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7 responses to “The LGBTI candidates firming up for the NSW elections”

  1. NSW Labor has a new boss Luke Foley who is a total homophobic cunt!

    Both Labor and Liberal parties here in NSW completely lack policy and decision making!

    NSW has turned into hell in a hand-basket!

    Vote 1 Sex Party!

  2. I love being a supporter of the Australian Equality Party (just recently launched) and I will vote for them in both houses. I was once a Greens supporter and voter, but when they sided with Labor they lost there true calling and did a deal with the devil – the shit hit the fan literally, and then a power alliance with Labor was more important, than the Green policies such as marriage equality and good clean renewable energy FAILED!

    But everyone in NSW knows already in 2014, that the centre-right party called the Liberals will win anyway in the March 2015 Election in the lower house (with a slight less majority) and not forgetting that the extream “so far to the right they are off a cliff” Christian Democrats and the Shooters and Fishing Party will win the “balance of power” in the upper house!

    What can I say?

  3. In March 2015 here within NSW, all LGBTI people need uncorrupt and unbiased legal and constitutional representation and the people of NSW of all kinds – urgently need and are crying out for long overdue good practice lawmaking and good three LGBTI policy areas and decision-making such as;

    * Intersex and Trans* people birth certificate equality and to end the forced divorces on Trans* people;
    * International and interstate recognition of same-sex unions within the NSW state relationship register; and
    * Constitutional NSW state Same-Sex Marriage legislation with a 5-year ‘sunset clause’ that says –
    “This law automatically get repealed in the year 2020; or
    until both houses of the Australian Parliament themselves passes Marriage Equality Legislation”.

  4. This is a great list, but I think, articles like this have a responsibility to talk more about the parties and platforms the candidates represent. Supporting the LGBT candidate doesn’t solely involve voting for them just because they’re gay and that seems to be the undertone of this piece. I look forward to your coverage of the elections and can’t wait to see more in depth profiles of our candidates!

  5. I have noticed that two very important nsw bills Alex introduced did not become law – when it should be law!

    the NSW “Relationships Register Amendment (Recognition of Same-sex and Gender-diverse Relationships) Bill 2014” did not come up for a vote and will soon lapse. Perhaps that when the election stuff is all done and dusted the bill gets introduced again and passed! This bill will allow overseas/interstate marriages and relationships of trans* people and same sex couples fully recognised in the 2010 NSW Relationship Register!

    https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/nswbills.nsf/d6079cf53295ca7dca256e66001e39d2/1731f0f9bc3003b9ca257d4e001e3f1c?OpenDocument

    Also another bill called the “Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment (Change of Sex) Bill 2014 (No 2)” will allow trans* people the dignity of staying in a marriage and not be forced to divorce there spouse, this bill will lapse because like the relationships bill as mentioned above – this also should be passed into law too, but did not also get a vote!

    https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/nswbills.nsf/d6079cf53295ca7dca256e66001e39d2/afd322cedcce719eca257d710018680e?OpenDocument