The Liberal party has announced its NSW senate ticket for the upcoming federal election and it’s bringing an end to the political career of veteran senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne will take the top spot on the ticket, while the third spot will go to Senator Jim Molan. The second spot is allocated to the Nationals who will have former NSW state director Ross Cadell as a candidate.
The allocation means Senator Fierravanti-Wells has been pushed down into an unwinnable spot on the spot, effectively ending her political career.
The party said in a statement the Senate team would “continue to fight for families and small businesses across NSW, and will ensure that our community benefits from the Morrison Government’s Covid recovery plan with a stronger economy and a more secure nation”.
Senator Fierravanti-Wells was appointed to the senate in May 2005 due to a casual vacancy created by the resignation of Senator John Tierney. In opposition she served as shadow parliamentary secretary with responsibilities for ageing, mental health, immigration and citizenship. When the Coalition won the 2013 election she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Social Services under Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s leadership.
When Malcom Turnbull toppled Abbott and took up the role of Prime Minister she was appointed Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and in 2016 was promoted to Minister for International Development and the Pacific.
Senator Fierravanti-Wells resigned from the front bench in 2018 following the leadership spill that saw Scott Morrison become Prime Minister. She citing Turbull’s support for marriage equality as one of the reason’s she’d lost faith in the Prime Minister. She then moved to the backbench.
In 2017 the conservative senator was one of 12 members of the senate who voted against the legislation that allowed for marriage equality in Australia.
Back in 2012 Senator Fierravanti-Wells said she was opposed to allowing same-sex couple marriage because many LGBTIQ+ people do not intend on staying in monogamous relationships.
“Most Australians would find these concepts repugnant, abhorrent and destructive to our social fabric.” she said.
‘‘I doubt that most people who are pushing these amendments are overly religious or even intend on staying in a monogamous relationship, which begs the question: why do they want to get married?’’ Senator Fierravanti-Wells said.
More recently the NSW senator has advocated for a broader religious freedom law, argued against transgender women being recognised as women, and said there is no need to adjust legislation to protect LGBT students in schools.
Graeme Watson
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