Joseph Misuraca and Keith Platt
FORMER Liberal Dunkley MP Chris Crewther wants the chance to regain the seat he lost to Labor’s Peta Murphy at the 2019 election.
Mr Crewther succeeded fellow Liberal Bruce Billson in 2016 but failed to hold onto the seat that had been held by Mr Billson for 20 years.
Mr Crewther is now one of four Liberals seeking preselection for Dunkley.
The other contenders are Donna Hope, Sharn Coombes and Chrestyna Kmetj.
Ms Hope (formerly Mrs Bauer) was the state MP for Carrum until 2014, when she lost her seat to Labor’s Sonya Kilkenny. She unsuccessfully contested the seat in 2018 and has since been working as a Jetstar flight attendant and staffer for federal MP, Katie Allen.
Ms Coombes, who is soon to move to live in the Dunkley electorate, has been a criminal barrister for more than 20 years and was twice runner-up on the reality TV program, Survivor.
Ms Kmetj, of Ukrainian descent, lives outside the Dunkley electorate in Mount Martha and is a self-employed business manager.
None of the Liberal hopefuls could provide comments due to the preselection rule which prohibits nominees from revealing information to the media before they’ve been selected.
The preselection is due to happen in August providing there are no further delays due to lockdowns or rescheduled Victorian Liberal Party council meetings.
An auditor general’s report has criticised train station car parking promises made by the Liberals in the lead-up to the 2019 federal election.
In March, the $7 million car parking expansions at Kananook and Seaford stations announced by Mr Crewther in May 2019 were abandoned by the federal government.
The Australian National Audit Office has since found that the $660 million Urban Congestian Fund car park plan was inappropriately administered.
Ms Murphy said last week that the car parks were “just an attempt at a political fix, never to be delivered”.
“The Liberal government didn’t even engage with our local community, the [Frankston] council or the state government.”
First published in the Mornington News – 6 July 2021
