The Morrison government is under pressure to hold the safe blue seat of Wentworth, where a high-profile independent is threatening the government’s one-seat majority.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned voters in the urban Sydney seat of Wentworth that a vote for independent challenger Kerryn Phelps would “bring Bill Shorten closer to running the country”.
The high-profile Sydney doctor formally declared her candidacy on the weekend and is shaping up as the most credible rival to the Liberal candidate Dave Sharma, who has taken up the mantle after the departure of Malcolm Turnbull.
“Voting for anyone other than the Liberal candidate, which is Dave Sharma, brings Bill Shorten closer to running the country and people’s taxes going up and small businesses not getting support they need,” Mr Morrison told the Ten network on Sunday evening.
“I’ve known Kerryn over a long period of time, she’s been a person committed to many issues over her lifetime, but she’s not a Liberal, she’s standing as an independent because she’s not a Liberal,” he said.
“She doesn’t support what the Liberal Party does.”
Like in any election, Wentworth voters can direct their preferences wherever they want.
Ms Phelps said she was yet to settle on preference recommendations, but urged her supporters to put the Liberals last on the ballot paper to send a message to Canberra.
If Ms Phelps succeeds and wins the seat in her own right, it would end the Coalition government’s pure majority in the House of Representatives. The government would then need to strike deals with four independents to keep hold of confidence and supply – with outspoken Queensland MP Bob Katter already signalling he would drive a hard bargain.
Ms Phelps said she would guarantee supply so the government could go on running the country if she wins the October 20 by-election.
The Sydney City Councillor and former Australian Medical Association president said she recognised it would be a challenge to wind back former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s 17 per cent margin in the seat.
The seat has never been held by anyone but the Liberals and is considered “blue ribbon” Liberal heartland.
But polls suggest voters will punish the government for ousting their popular local MP from the prime ministership.
“The people here are frustrated, angry and in despair about what happened to Malcolm Turnbull,” Ms Phelps told reporters on Sunday.
“They don’t want to see continue this revolving door of leadership.”
Dr Phelps said voters knew Mr Turnbull supported action on climate change, marriage equality and making Australia a republic but the hard right of his party restricted his ability to speak out on those issues.
She said it was time to bring back some integrity, stability and common sense to the federal parliament.
“It is supposed to be a house of representatives and it hasn’t been a representative voice of the Australian people for too long,” she said.
The independent said she was yet to organise any preferences deals but said voters should put her first and the Liberal Party last.
“It’s really important you send that message that they know that Canberra needs to be a voice for the people,” she said.
Dr Phelps said her track record as a doctor, health communicator and advocate, one of the leaders in the marriage equality campaign, author, and working mother of three, gives her the skills to sit in the federal parliament.
Labor’s Tim Murray and independent investment manager Licia Heath are among 11 people who have announced their candidacy for the poll.
