Morris,who is yet to submit her nomination forms,will be pitted againstAmelia Hamer,who has formally nominated ahead of the January 15 cut-off. Senior Liberal senator Jane Hume,for whom Hamer once worked,is one of Hamer’s character references.
Neither Morris nor Hamer are high-profile figures and it would require an upset for one of them to unseat Ryan,who defeated the former Coalition treasurer at last year’s election and holds the seat with a 3 per cent margin. Frydenberg,who now chairs investment bank Goldman Sachs’ Australian and New Zealand operation,in Septemberruled out a political comeback,at least in this election cycle.
“Well,this is the night which may well change my life as I have decided to accept the preselection for the federal seat of Kooyong!” Morris wrote in a post on her personal Facebook page on the weekend.
“Although I have been a Liberal Party member for some years and have advocated during COVID for health issues,I have now decided to do more for the community than make a difference for one person’s life.
Loading
“As a surgeon,I hope the attributes of leadership,integrity and determination with thick skin will hold me in good esteem!”
Members are also urging Karen Sobels,who was the first female president of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry,to run. More candidates may emerge following Frydenberg’s decision to stay away from federal politics.