The woman who appears set to become the first “teal” independent to enter NSW parliament, political adviser Jacqui Scruby, says voters are now more trusting of independent candidates backed by their local communities.
Scruby looks likely to win the by-election for the seat of Pittwater, which was held on Saturday. Initial vote counting showed she'd achieved a 6 percent swing against the Liberals, who now have their hopes pinned on postal votes.
Labor and the Greens did not run candidates, with Scruby appearing to pick up most of those votes.
She led the Liberal candidate on election night in 2023 but lost after later counting.
If she prevails this time, the state Liberal party will have lost the seat for only the second time in 51 years.
The by-election was triggered when the incumbent MP, Rory Amon, was arrested on child abuse charges, which he denies.
The defeat would compound the effect of the administrative debacle that wiped out dozens of Liberal councillors in September’s local elections.
While acknowledging that the Liberals had “issues,” Scruby said that “overwhelmingly, what we’re seeing is people trust community-backed representation.
“It’s happened over years, not overnight,” she told reporters.
Backed By Climate Lobby Group
Scruby has worked as an adviser for federal teal MPs Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall, and enjoyed strong support from Simon Holmes à Court’s environment-focused political fundraiser Climate 200.While it has backed two earlier successful NSW campaigns, neither Wollondilly MP Judy Hannan nor incumbent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich ran under teal banners, making Scruby the first teal on Macquarie Street.
The loss of Pittwater would leave the NSW Liberal Party with just one state MP and one councillor—and no federal MPs—in an area once the mainstay of conservatives such as Tony Abbott and Bronwyn Bishop.
Liberal NSW leader Mark Speakman acknowledged the damage done to the party by earlier scandals.
“The circumstances of the former member’s resignation, and the disappointing failure to nominate candidates in the Northern Beaches Council elections, have clearly had their toll,” his office said.
Liberals, however, managed to succeed in two other by-elections on Saturday.
Triggered by the retirements of former Premier Dominic Perrottet and former Treasurer Matt Kean, the races for Epping and Hornsby were easily won by Monica Tudehope and James Wallace.
Both won on first preferences, albeit without a Labor opponent.
