Independent candidate for the Sydney electorate of Reid, Natalie Baini, is directing voters to preference Labor ahead of the sitting Liberal member in the marginal seat.
Baini, who is a former Liberal Party member and now independent candidate, is putting Labor candidate Sally Sitou in fifth place on her how-to-vote card, and Liberal member Fiona Martin in sixth place.
If Baini voters follow her how-to-vote card, it could spell trouble for Fiona Martin, who only holds the seat on a narrow margin on 3.2 per cent. In an unlikely move, the Liberal Democrats will also direct its voters to preference Labor’s Sitou over Martin.
Reid is a seat covering areas in the inner west of Sydney including suburbs like Five Dock, Abbotsford, Concord, Strathfield, Burwood, Croydon, Homebush and parts of Lidcombe.
Historically, Reid has been a safe Labor seat, but after a redistribution of its boundaries in 2010, Reid became more competitive for the Liberals, and was won by the party for the first time in 2013. Psychologist Fiona Martin has been the MP since 2019.
This election, lawyer and former cultural diversity manager for the AFL Natalie Baini is running as an independent. In late 2021, Baini quit the Liberal Party to protest how an internal complaint she made to party was handled.
Baini alleged that she had been a relationship with married Coalition minister Craig Laundy, the former MP for Reid, and that steps had been taken to stop her nominating for preselection for the Liberal Party back in 2019.
Labor candidate Sally Sitou is a doctoral researcher at the University of Sydney Business School and has worked in the international education and development sectors.
Both parties consider the marginal seat a must win.
Fiona Martin was one of the five Liberal MPs to cross the floor in the House of Representatives over the religious discrimination bill, to protect LGBTQI+ students from discrimination. The bill was ultimately shelved by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Feature image: Sally Sitou, Fiona Martin and Natalie Baini.