Boele Apologises After Hairdresser Comment Sparks Backlash

Nicolette Boele, the Teal candidate for Bradfield, has apologised for an inappropriate comment made towards a teenager at a hairdresser’s.

Boele, who’s running to take Sydney’s north shore seat of Bradfield, which is currently held by senior Liberal moderate Paul Fletcher, has been banned from a local hairdressing salon. This came after she allegedly told the 19-year-old female hairdresser that her hair wash “was so good and I didn’t even have sex with you”.

Boele issued a statement apologising for her remarks. 

“It was a poor attempt at humour and I’ve apologised,” Boele said in the statement. “Everyone deserves to feel respected in their workplace, and I’ll do better”.

The incident was first reported by Ben Fordham on Nine’s 2GB Sydney Radio station. The exchange risks disrupting Boele’s campaign in her second attempt to unseat Liberal Paul Fletcher after she came close in the last election. Fletcher retained his seat in the 2022 election, beating out Boele by an extremely narrow margin. However, Fletcher ultimately received 54.2% of the votes, in comparison to Boele’s 45.8%. Fletcher has now retired, opening the door for Boele to swoop in. 

Bradfield is expected to be a tight race

The Bradfield electoral pool includes the Sydney suburbs of Chatswood, Pymble, and Killara. The seat has been held by Fletcher since 2009, but now with his retirement, it is between Boele and Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian. 

The race is expected to be tight, and the electorate has also seen some changes since the last poll. Some voters have moved from the now-abolished North Sydney seat into Bradfield.

The federal election has officially been announced to take place on 3 May 2025. Jeff Pope, the Australian Electoral Commissioner, said that this would be Australia’s largest ever election. The final voting enrolment number is expected to be a record high, with Pope promising more voting venues, both in Australia and abroad, in anticipation of such high numbers.