Upping the ante
The life of any political candidate involves long hours and hard work and requires energy and passion. By the time the NSW state election comes around on March 26, Liberal candidate for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton will have effectively been six months on the campaign trail.
Joined by Greens candidate Susan Jarnason, who was nominated in mid-November, both Ms Upton and Ms Jarnason will have spent more time campaigning than Labor candidate Pauline Neill.
After a reportedly desperate search, Ms Neill was named as Labor’s candidate in December but was directed to hold off beginning her campaign until after Christmas and the New Year.
The additional time spent working in the electorate has helped “deepen [her] understanding of the issues” said Ms Upton, who won preselection for Vaucluse last September in a tough contest for one of NSW Liberal’s safest and most coveted seats.
“As it’s a highly sought-after seat, then people are going to compete pretty hard,” Ms Upton said. “That’s good training and good preparation for the real job.”
Reading through Ms Upton’s profile, there is little to suggest she wouldn’t be prepared for the job. Born and raised in the eastern suburbs, Ms Upton has a law degree from the University of New South Wales, a Masters in Business Administration from New York University, and extensive experience in the finance, legal, education and research sectors.
Yet the 45-year-old mother of two remains close to her local roots. In 1999 Ms Upton and her husband, Alex Sundich, settled in Darling Point, where she became one of the founding members of the Darling Point Society, which monitors planning and development in the area. “I really like to know what’s going on in the community, what the issues are,” Ms Upton said.
Politics was a natural progression, with Ms Upton joining the Liberal Party in 1999. Pursuing a seat in parliament was the obvious next step, and she hopes that a win at the March election will allow even more active engagement in important social issues.
Planning, youth and mental health are all high priorities for the Liberal Vaucluse candidate who also believes there needs to be more long-term investment in health, transport and education.
“If you get that right, the benefits of the infrastructure will be multi-generational; it won’t just be in my life time,” she said.
With previous experience in business and finance roles, Ms Upton said she believes she could make a valuable contribution in economic development.
“Any opportunity that is thrown at me I will grab with both hands,” she said. “But the first thing I have to do is learn the job.”
Despite Vaucluse being held by a 16 per cent margin, Ms Upton isn’t taking anything for granted.
“People talk about being in a safe seat, but I haven’t done this before and so I approach it like I do any other thing – I really put my shoulder behind it and I work really hard.”
The aspiring candidate said that an MP’s primary concern should always be for the electorate.
“You’re there to represent them, and you can’t forget that. That’s why I work really hard in the electorate because they are the most important people.”
