James Wallace Selected as Liberal Candidate for Hornsby
James Wallace, a corporate lawyer and former state party vice-president, has been chosen as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Hornsby. The seat will be contested in a by-election following the retirement of former treasurer Matt Kean.
Wallace, who is described as a "moderate" and a "once-in-a-generation political talent," received over 120 votes out of nearly 200 cast at the Hornsby RSL Club. He was reportedly the preferred successor of Kean, who is leaving his safe Liberal electorate after 13 years to take a job advising the federal Labor government on climate change policy.
Former Hornsby deputy mayor Michael Hutchence came in second, despite being endorsed by former prime minister Tony Abbott. Abbott criticized Kean for attempting to "parachute" Wallace into the position, stating that he believes it is wrong for Kean to hand-pick his successor.
Two out of the six candidates vying to replace Kean were women, including barrister Ishita Sethi. Deputy opposition leader Natalie Ward acknowledged that the Liberal Party still has progress to make in terms of female representation, but noted that 40% of shadow frontbenchers are currently women.
Wallace joined the Liberal Party in high school and volunteered for former premier Gladys Berejiklian when she was shadow transport minister. He rose through party ranks to become president of the NSW Young Liberals when Mike Baird was premier. Wallace was also backed by former premier Dominic Perrottet, whose own impending departure from politics will trigger a by-election in Epping. Perrottet is moving his family to Washington DC for a job with mining company BHP.