The Liberal Party’s most senior woman in NSW parliament has failed to win preselection for the northern Sydney seat of Davidson, losing to former Mike Baird staffer, Matt Cross.
Natalie Ward is the Minister for Roads and Minister for Women’s Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence, and was attempting to switch from the NSW upper house to the lower house at the state election.
Ward lost the preselection ballot for the seat of Davidson to Cross with 85 votes to 95 votes. The seat is set to be vacated by Speaker Jonathon O’Dea who is leaving politics at the election.
Ward’s inability to make the move from the upper house to the lower house comes after she spoke out recently about the need for a discussion about quotas in the Liberal Party.
There are currently only 10 women in the Liberal Party sitting in NSW parliament, across both houses. Ward is just one of three Liberal women in the NSW upper house.
She told the Sydney Morning Herald just weeks ago that it was important that women were given the chance to run in safe seats for the Liberal Party at the election.
Despite her credentials and years of experience in politics, Ward was not chosen by the local branch in Davidson. Matt Cross, who previously worked for former NSW Premier Mike Baird, had his eye on the seat for a number of years.
Ward’s preselection loss comes after Families and Communities Minister, Natasha Maclaren-Jones, withdrew her nomination for Rob Stokes’ soon-to-be vacant northern beaches seat of Pittwater, after it became clear she could not win preselection over Liberal Northern Beaches Councillor, Rory Amon.
Last week, Holsworthy MP Melanie Gibbons, another experienced Liberal woman, lost preselection for her own seat to Tina Ayyad.
Ward’s failure to win preselection in Davidson now means there will be no upper house vacancy for Gibbons to fill.