Turnbull decision leaves Wentworth wide open

The race for Wentworth is now wide open following Malcolm Turnbull’s decision not to recontest the seat.

The media began to speculate last week on possible replacements, with former John Howard staffer Arthur Sinodinos, City of Sydney Councillor Shayne Mallard and Menzies Research Centre director Julian Leeser all being mentioned.

One consensus that has started to emerge is that environmental credentials will high on the priority list for voters.

This is good news for The Greens, who are the only major party so far to have preselected a candidate, having named legal researcher Matthew Robertson in January.

Mr Robertson said it was time for the major parties to preselect their candidates so the contest could begin.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty out there amongst voters about who the major parties will be putting up, he said.

“The fact that we have a campaign in motion already is an indication that we are serious about offering a true alternative to the voters.”

He said the seat was now more marginal following Mr Turnbull’s decision.

“We’re unlikely to see a Liberal candidate with the enormous personal resources … that Malcolm Turnbull has put into Wentworth,” he said.

“Plus they have a difficult preselection process to negotiate … finding a more moderate candidate – which is the only type of Liberal candidate that is going to be palatable to Wentworth – is going to be difficult.”

Such a palatable candidate could be Cr Mallard, though he was remaining tight lipped about his intentions.

“All I can say … is that I am seriously considering my options at the moment,” he said.

“The party is still to set up the timetable for any sort of preselection, so I’m taking my time to [come to a decision].”

Cr Mallard said he was disappointed to see Mr Turnbull exit federal politics.

“I think he had more to contribute to the Parliament and to the party but he’s made that decision so we have to respect that,” he said.

But he said Wentworth would be a hard fight with or without Mr Turnbull.

“We’ve never taken a seat for granted … particularly not a marginal seat like Wentworth … and we have to treat it with a great deal of respect,” he said.

One man who was more than happy to disclose his intentions was high-profile lawyer Steven Lewis, who has put his hand up for the Labor Party.

“I’ve indicated that I’m going to nominate for preselection,” he said.

“It’s going to be a fascinating campaign. I was looking forward to taking on Turnbull – I’m not going to get that opportunity, but I’m looking forward to taking on whoever they put up.”

He said mental health, homelessness and the environment were key issues in Wentworth.

“The electorate has shown in their voting trends in the past that they hold certain issues very highly and very strongly, the environment being one of them,” he said.

“This campaign will be won by a candidate who has strong local credentials and who is able to reflect the views of the electorate at a grassroots level … it’s a case where the strongest local candidate will win.”