Former Australian ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma has been declared the Liberal member of the Sydney electorate of Wentworth following Saturday’s election.
The Sydney seat of Wentworth was in Liberal hands from its beginning in 1944 until October last year when Dr Kerryn Phelps won as an Independent. It is home to a large part of Sydney’s Jewish community.
Facing the media in Rushcutters Bay this afternoon Dave Sharm said he was “honoured and humbled” by the trust the people in Wentworth have shown in him.
He commented that the election had been dominated by national issues and that the Liberal government under Scott Morrison would continue to maintain a strong economy, national security and “a record investment in hospitals, schools and disability care that a strong budget can provide”.
He made mention of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull who had held the seat of Wentworth for 14 years. “he was a very popular and liked local member”.
Dave Sharma said he was happy about the level of support he had received from Malcolm Turnbull saying “he was always available and accessible to me”.
Sharma was asked about his success following his failure to win in the October byelection last year responding that the issues this time were national and voters were being asked to choose between a Shorten Labor government or a Coalition government.
Referring to the byelection Dave Sharma it was not only the dumping of Malcolm Turnbull but also “anger and protest in the electorate about the leadership instability.”
Asked if he thought there may be a cabinet position for him, Dave Sharma stressed that his local issues would on his agenda.
He accepted that Dr Kerryn Phelps had “raise the profile of national issues which deserved more attention in our political debate.”
Answering questions about the future he said: “We do need to treat anyone seeking asylum in Australia with compassion but we also need to balance this with maintaining our borders.”
He said the party has a policy of responsible action in climate change and reaffirmed this three months ago.
Sad to see a Jewish independent candidate like Dr Phelps defeated by a party hack like Dave Sharma.