Liberal candidates announced for inner-city seats, Sydney University law student runs for Balmain
Image: Law student Freya Leach runs for Balmain in state election. Photo: Facebook/Freya Leach.
By ERIN MODARO
University of Sydney law student Freya Leach has been announced as the Liberal candidate running for Balmain in the upcoming state election. Leach will be up against Greens candidate Kobi Shetty, and Labor candidate Philippa Scott, both of whom currently sit on the Inner West Council.
Leach is a well-known young conservative on the Sydney University campus; last year she alleged that a university exam question included defamatory material against her.
Included in a criminal law exam was a question using the name ‘Freya’, in which the subjects were involved in a hypothetical situation for the purposes of testing student’s knowledge of the law.
In the hypothetical situation posed in the exam question, the subject named Freya kills a left-wing victim in a hit-and-run car accident, engages in unprotected sex knowing she is HIV positive, and is fatally pushed out of a window due to a love-triangle dispute.
Leach alleged that the question targeted her personally because of her political beliefs, and wrote to the head of the USyd law school about her concerns. The University of Sydney apologised for any distress the question had caused, and assured that it was not meant to reference any real life student or situation.
Tough electorate to crack
Leach’s nomination for Balmain was officially announced on Monday, after rumours of her candidacy appeared in The Daily Telegraph and USyd student paper Honi Soit.
Balmain represents tough territory for any Liberal candidate, having been a consistent Labor stronghold until it was won by Jamie Parker for the Greens in 2011, and retained in 2015 and then 2019.
Leach said that she has “always been a strong advocate for our community”, and that the upcoming election is about “having a plan for NSW”.
“There are cost of living pressures hitting families, both in the Balmain peninsula and the Inner West as whole,” Leach said. She said her areas of focus for her campaign would be to “ease the pressure on family budgets” as the cost-of-living crisis impacts residents in the Inner West.
As for strategy, Leach says she will lean on the Liberal Party’s “pragmatic policy” and “strong and proven economic management” to address community issues.
“From scrapping stamp duty, to welcoming cashless gaming, and introducing universal pre-Kindergarten, only a strong community advocate and the Liberal team can make sure Balmain remains the best place to live and build a future,” she said.
On climate, Leach cited “pragmatic environmental policy” as her focus.
Leach is involved in the Young NSW Liberals and the University of Sydney’s Conservative Club, and has broad academic and business backgrounds in economics, global markets, commerce and law.
Media executive Phyllisse Stanton for Sydney
The Liberals have announced another inner-city candidate as businesswoman Phyllisse Stanton, who is running for the seat of Sydney which is currently held by independent Alex Greenwich.
“I’m incredibly excited to be the Liberal candidate for Sydney at such an important time when there is a crucial election upon us,” Stanton said. Stanton is focused on delivering a “strong economy”, as well as “easing family budgets with cost of living measures, supporting small business, toll relief and investing in health and education”.
Stanton has previously worked for the UKTV/BBC, Optus Vision, Nine Network, Network Ten, Prime Television and SBS, and is interested in law, photography and sailing.
Sydney has been held by independent candidates since its formation in 2007. Greenwich defeated liberal candidate Lyndon Gannon at the most recent state election in 2019.
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