Having failed to win John Howard’s old seat of Bennelong in 2022, management consultant Simon Kennedy has been selected to contest Scott Morrison’s seat of Cook for the Liberals, which has been vacated now that the former prime minister has left parliament.
Calls for a female representative in the blue ribbon seat went unheeded, with Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner Gwen Cherne receiving only 35 votes to Mr Kennedy’s 158 in a ballot of local Liberal Party members.
The wealthy businessman and mayor of Sutherland Shire, Carmelo Pesce, gained the endorsement of Scott Morrison, but this didn’t translate to votes. He received 90 in the ballot.
Cook includes a large area of southern Sydney, including Cronulla. Simon Kennedy does not currently live in the electorate.
The ALP has said it is unlikely to run a candidate in the by-election, with Scott Morrison’s old seat sitting on a very safe twelve point margin. The date of the contest is yet to be announced by the Australian Electoral Commission.
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