Kerryn Phelps

How Kerryn Phelps created history in Sydney – and what it could mean come the federal election

THE MOOD WAS JUBILANT AS DR Kerryn Phelps entered North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. The independent candidate had just created history, grabbing the blue-ribbon Sydney seat of Wentworth from the Liberal Party. For the first time in its 117year history, Wentworth had changed hands.

The crowd roared as a triumphant Phelps, alongside her wife, Jackie Stricker-phelps, danced her way to the stage to the strains of Macklemore’s “Glorious” on the evening of the Oct. 20 by-election. “Thank you to the people of Wentworth for putting your trust in me,” Phelps – the sister of actor Peter Phelps – told the audience. “I won’t let you down ... this is a victory for a community of people.”

There is now talk Phelps’ win – and the Liberals’ defeat – could shape the federal election next year. As postal votes were counted, the gap between Phelps and the Liberal candidate, Dave Sharma, narrowed significantly. But by Oct. 22, Phelps had secured 51 per cent of the votes to Sharma’s 48 per cent.

The result means the government will be left with 75 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, with one of these held by the speaker. Labor will have 69 seats, and independents and minor parties will have six.

The public had spoken. And the message was clear – people were furious that Malcolm Turnbull, who had been the member for Wentworth since 2004 and held the seat by a 17.7 per cent margin, was turfed out as Prime Minister in August.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged frustrated voters punished the government. “Liberal voters expressed their anger at the parliamentary Liberal Party,” Morrison said on Oct. 20. “There is no doubt about that. And we copped that fairly on the chin.

“The event of two months ago angered and outraged many Liberals, and particularly those in the seat of Wentworth. That’s on us, the parliamentary Liberal Party. That’s not on Dave Sharma.” And a displeased public is a real worry for the government with an election looming.

Turnbull initiated the by-election when he resigned after losing leadership. Former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce was critical of Turnbull’s lack of support for Sharma, telling News Corp: “That’s all he had to say: ‘Please vote for Dave Sharma.’ Five words. He owned an IT company, I think he could have managed that.”

For her part, Phelps has a clear vision for what she needs to do: tackle climate change and resettle asylum seekers •