Pittwater Life June 2022 Issue

News
History-making Scamps’
vision for Mackellar
Mackellar has voted for change, anti-corruption commission is legislated around their kitchen tables, in cafes and
with ‘teal’ Independent Dr Sophie before the end of the year.
our parks, and together, we have now
Scamps riding a wave of community
Also on her extensive to-do list is made history.
support to create history and become
the first non-Liberal local member in the
seat’s 73-year history.
Results three days after the May 21
election, with votes from 47 of 48 places
returned, showed former Liberal MP Jason
Falinski polling 41.27 per cent (34,821) of
the first preference count, followed by Dr
Scamps with 39.28 per cent (33,142 votes).
The remainder of the Mackellar ‘pie’
was divided between Labor’s Paula Goodman
(7.7 per cent), The Greens’ Ethan
Hrnjak (5.7 per cent), UAP’s Christopher
Ball (2.9 per cent), One Nation’s Darren
Dickson (2.6 per cent) and The New Liberals’
Barry Steele (0.54 per cent).
However, after preferences, the Two Party
preferred vote saw Dr Scamps clearly
ahead with 44,625 votes (52.9 per cent) to
Mr Falinski’s 39,736 votes (47.1 per cent).
A euphoric Dr Scamps said her top priorities
will be to hold Anthony Albanese’s
Labor Government to account on climate
change, while ensuring a strong federal
improving our public hospital and mental
health services.
“I will pressure the incoming government
to ensure Mackellar receives the
funding it needs to improve [these] local
services,” she said.
Dr Scamps claimed victory around
midnight on election night. She told nearly
800 volunteers and supporters at Dee Why
RSL that the community in Mackellar had
voted emphatically for change and independent
representation in Parliament.
“This is an historic result, and I am
incredibly humbled to be entrusted by our
community to represent them in Parliament
over the next three years,” she said.
“The foundation of our success has
been the amazing movement which
involved over 1200 volunteers engaging
with our community, listening to their
concerns and campaigning with integrity
and positivity.
“Our campaign started over two years
ago, listening to the concerns of locals
“This victory has proved the power
of community, and that when we come
together Mackellar can achieve great
things.”
She said she promised to work “every
day to be an MP that you can be proud of”.
“I promise to be an MP that genuinely
listens to our community and votes in a
way that reflects the views and values of
this community.
“Finally, I promise to ensure our community
is never taken for granted again in
Parliament and that our voice is heard and
respected.”
Dr Scamps acknowledged the two terms
of work delivered by Mr Falinski since
2016.
“While we may have disagreed over a
range of policy issues and had our differences
during the campaign, I also want to
thank Jason Falinski for serving our community
over the last six years,” she said.
Prior to the election Mackellar was considered
Liberal heartland. The party had
held it continuously for 73 years, with Mr
Falinski holding a seemingly insurmountable
13.3 per cent advantage following the
2019 election.
But the incumbent MP became one of
several ‘moderate’ Liberals wiped from
office by the community-funded and Climate
200-backed teal independents.
As the Liberals’ soul-searching continued
in the days after the drama-charged
TEAL APPEAL:
New Mackellar MP
Dr Sophie Scamps
celebrates with
supporters.
election result, senior moderate Liberal
Simon Birmingham said his party had
clearly not learned the lessons of former
PM Tony Abbott’s 2019 defeat to Zali Steggall
in Warringah.
“We should have acknowledged that
had broader implications than just related
to Tony,” he said. “Now we’re paying the
price for that.”
– Nigel Wall
* Jason Falinski signs off – see page 13
‘An ever-present risk’
Pittwater State MP Rob Stokes is
not taking the threat of a possible
independent challenge lightly in the
lead-up to the 2023 NSW Election.
Mr Stokes, who defeated
independent Alex McTaggart to take
office in 2007, said history had shown
that northern Sydney in particular has
been prepared to back independents,
especially in coastal areas.
“Given I faced an independent,
I know there is an ever-present
risk of independents in seats like
Pittwater and Manly and other coastal
peninsula seats where there is one
road in and one road out, and there
is a strong sense of local identity,” Mr
Stokes said.
He acknowledged Dr Scamps and
the ‘teal independents’ did well
because they resonated with voters on
key community-focused issues.
“They brought a level of coordination
and commonality on some
of society’s big challenges, like climate
change and integrity,” he said.
“The state Liberals have a
demonstrated record of addressing
these themes in government – but
we should not take [our results] as a
reason to congratulate ourselves or
rest on our laurels.”
– NW
News
10 JUNE 2022
The Local Voice Since 1991
The Local Voice Since 1991
JUNE 2022 11