North Sydney MP Kylea Tink has announced she will not run for a seat in the House of Representatives at the 2025 federal election.
While Tink said the decision was “a difficult one”, she also said “ultimately I think it is in the best interests of the community independent movement and my family if I explore other ways in which I can continue to support this shift.”
Her announcement follows the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) federal redistribution earlier this year, which saw the seat of North Sydney abolished and divided between the seats of Bennelong, Bradfield and Warringah.
Tink won the seat of North Sydney at the 2022 federal election, after it was previously held by the Liberal Party’s Trent Zimmerman.
Speaking at a community event in Chatswood recently, Tink expressed pride in the achievements of the North Sydney community and the nationwide, community-backed independent movement.
“This term of parliament has shown how powerful community-led representation can be. It has been one of the privileges of my life to represent my community of North Sydney and help drive the community-independent movement forward,” said Tink.
“I have been proud to play a role in holding both major parties to account in this historic term of Parliament while helping to drive reform on issues that matter most to North Sydney.”
Listing her policy achievements, Tink said she’s proud to have enacted progress in “securing significant climate reforms and new vehicle efficiency standards”, as well as “supporting families through reinstated parenting payments and super on parental leave, standing up for students on HECS indexation, advocating for policies that tackle intergenerational inequity, improving parliamentary conduct, and advocating for stronger protection of human rights”.
“When everyday Australians come together, we can drive real change – not just for our electorates, but for the nation. However, there is so much more to do, and we need strong independent voices in Parliament to deliver the progress we need,” she added.
Tink also expressed her support for Nicolette Boele for the re-drawn Sydney seat of Bradfield. Boele will be running as an independent against Liberal MP Paul Fletcher.
Boele first ran against Fletcher in 2022, turning it from one of the safest seats in the country to a marginal one.
“Having initially run in 2022, Nicolette’s ongoing advocacy for the community of Bradfield has shown she is deeply committed to ensuring people’s real voices and concerns are heard at the highest levels. As a resident of Bradfield going forward, I will be voting for Nicolette Boele in the 2025 election.”
Boele expressed praise for Tink’s work, saying Tink is “a formidable representative for the people of North Sydney and a powerful advocate of the community independent movement”.
“She has achieved so much and shown how effective true community representation can be. I am disappointed that North Sydney is being abolished but I look forward to meeting constituents and getting to know the community,” said Boele.
Tink has also thrown her support behind Warringah MP Zali Steggall.
Beyond her announcement to not run for the House of Representatives in 2025, Tink said she is yet to make a decision on whether she’ll run for the Senate.
“I know I have more to give and there is so much more that needs to be done. As always, my focus will be on my electorate of North Sydney, while I am also committed to supporting every community-backed independent candidate around the country preparing to stand at the next election in any way I can,” said Tink.
Feature image: Kylea Tink.