Opinion

The Liberals need Frydenberg, but at what cost?

The optics of a bloke pushing aside a woman, especially in a teal seat, just because it’s suddenly become winnable, will be poor.

Phillip CooreyPolitical editor

Jun 2, 2024 – 4.31pm

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The federal parliamentary Liberal Party could well do with the likes of Josh Frydenberg in its ranks.

But for that to happen, he needs to cynically replace a young woman, Amelia Hamer, who sought and won Liberal preselection for Kooyong, only after the former treasurer, after months of indecision, eschewed a return to politics and opted for career and family.

If Josh Frydenberg wants to make a tilt for his old seat of Kooyong, he will need to replace Amelia Hamer. David Rowe

On Friday, the Australian Electoral Commission handed down its draft redistribution of Victoria, and Kooyong – at first blush at least – is back in play for the Liberals.

The AEC has proposed abolishing the neighbouring southern seat of Higgins and moving much of the seat into Kooyong.

Frydenberg lost Kooyong, by 53 per cent to 47 per cent, to teal independent Monique Ryan at the last election. Since then, Ryan’s personal standing has fallen in Kooyong, but she was still going to enter the election as the favourite.

Frydenberg decided against trying to wrest back Kooyong after twice privately polling the electorate. The most recent poll showed he could just fall across the line, but there was no guarantee.

Now, it appears the prospects for the Liberal candidate are much rosier.

Under Liberal Party rules, when the boundaries of a seat are altered significantly, the party can reopen preselection. Why it didn’t wait until after the redistributions is anyone’s guess.

Katie Allen, who lost Higgins at the last election to Labor’s Michelle Ananda-Rajah, is also thinking of throwing her hat into the ring should Kooyong be reopened, but one suspects that Frydenberg would win.

Seismic upheaval

The NSW division is waiting for what is expected to be a seismic upheaval of boundaries to be handed down by the AEC within the next fortnight.

Minutes after the Victorian redistribution was released on Friday, former NSW Liberal MP Jason Falinski, who lost his seat of Mackellar to teal independent Sophie Scamps, was urging Hamer to step aside so Frydenberg could be reinserted.

Politics is a rough transactional business but even so, the optics of a bloke pushing aside a woman, especially in a teal seat, just because it’s suddenly become winnable, will be poor.

On the other hand, the paucity of talent inside the ranks of the federal parliamentary Liberal Party is such that there will be many eager for Frydenberg to return.

Right now, if Peter Dutton were to be hit by the bus – or flogged at the next election – there is no obvious leadership alternative. None.

Phillip Coorey is the political editor based in Canberra. He is a two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham award for press gallery excellence. Connect with Phillip on Facebook and Twitter. Email Phillip at pcoorey@afr.com