Liberal councillor Christine Forster will nominate for pre-selection in Wentworth

Liberal councillor Christine Forster will nominate for pre-selection in Wentworth
Image: Image: Ann-Marie Calilhanna.

Liberal councillor Christine Forster—sister of former prime minister Tony Abbott—has announced she will nominate for pre-selection in the Sydney electorate of Wentworth, according to ABC.

The federal seat is yet to be vacated by Malcolm Turnbull, who was ousted last week in a leadership spill that saw Scott Morrison announced as Australia’s 30th prime minister.

A three-way contest was held in a partyroom meeting on Friday, with Scott Morrison, Peter Dutton, and Julie Bishop all vying for the prime ministership.

Bishop was eliminated in the first round of voting, before Morrison received a majority 45 votes, trumping Dutton’s 40 votes.

Turnbull indicated his intention to resign as a member of parliament in light of the results, however, his resignation could spark a by-election in Wentworth.

Forster may square up against former diplomat Dave Sharma and acting federal director of the Liberal Party Andrew Bragg in a pre-selection battle.

Reports have suggested that fellow City of Sydney councillor Kerryn Phelps is also considering a tilt at the seat as an independent.

Last year, Forster was an outspoken advocate for marriage equality, starring with her partner Virginia Edwards in a pro-LGBTI music video and announcing the pair’s wedding.

She has also spoken out about the importance of lesbian role models and the struggles faced by LGBTI people in the workplace.

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6 responses to “Liberal councillor Christine Forster will nominate for pre-selection in Wentworth”

  1. She will just be another Liberal member who will toe the line espoused by Scott Morrison, or even worse Abbott, We have long memories and Scott Morrison campaigned long and hard for the NO vote on same sex marriage and, even though his own constituents voted yes, he abstained from the vote to progress the legislation. I would encourage people to vote either Labor or for Kerryn Phelps if she nominates as an independent.

  2. Well at least she would be better than the other possible candidate, who is probably already packing up and leaving SA to take up residence in the Wentworth electorate so as to become eligible: Georgina Downer.
    She put herself up as a possible candidate in possibly Melbourne’s safest Federal Liberal seat, Goldstein and the Liberal Party (not the voters) rejected her prior to the 2016 Federal Election. Then the SA Federal seat of Mayo – Alex her daddy held the seat for 24 years and did nothing – came up for grabs and she, her family and some within the Liberal Party decided she was entitled to daddy’s old seat. This time the Voters sent her off with a massive flea in her ear. So she will be on the look-out for a nice safe Liberal seat from which she can continue to espouse her “Climate Change is Not happening”, her wanting to scrap the Basic Minimum Wage and adopt the US system where people are, reportedly, working for as little as $4 per hour, and then to scrap Penalty Rates. Her views are more in line with Tony Abbott’s than the Liberal Party.
    Christine has long been a critic of her brother and his homophobic, racist, xenophobic views so unless she has been playing silly buggers all these years, she is hardly likely to adopt his Ultra-Right-Wing neo-fascist views. In fact in the Parliament she might prove to be his nemesis.
    It is up to the Voters and it is to be hoped – and for those who do – prayed for that the GLTBIQ Community in Tony Abbott’s electorate actually work to have him defeated first as the Liberal candidate.

  3. Just how “Liberal” – in the original Menzies Liberal Party is she.
    Is she just another chip off the same block as her brother Tony? Is she, in fact, an Ultra-Right-Wing Conservative who would be better suited to one of the two neo0fascist, racist, xenophobic, compassionless parties such as Pauline Hanson and her One Nation or Corey Bernardi’s Australian Conservatives – which is where brother Tony should be?
    She may be a member of our Community but that does not mean she believes in the real meaning of Liberalism. Menzies set up the Liberal Party to counteract the strong swing to the Right – just as Abbott and his neo-fascists are trying to do now – of the then non-ALP political parties – just as the ALP swung hard Left and were kept out of office for over 20 years.
    Just how genuine is she? I s she now cursed with her family relationships as Georgina Downer so deservedly was when she ran in that July 28 By-Election and every bit as deservedly she got thrashed.

  4. I would never ever vote for Christine Forster and I’m a lesbian! She’s obviously hoping to use her Abbott connection to get preselction as she certainly doesn’t deserve it on merit. I hope the liberal rank and file get to vote on who they want for the seat rather than the party parachuting someone in.

  5. No way one member from that family is enough. She will never get my vote. Hopefully Kerryn Phelps or anyone else will be successful and we can say goodbye to this vile government that is now led by a right wing happy clappy cult church follower.