The Liberal Party has announced that former member Tim Wilson will be their candidate for the Victorian seat of Goldstein at the next election.
Wilson held the seat for two terms but lost out to independent Zoe Daniel at the last election. Wilson served as the Assistant Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction under Angus Taylor in the final months of Morrison Government.
At the 2022 election Wilson suffered a 13% swing as voters embraced the policies of independent Zoe Daniel who was back by the Climate 200 movement. The Liberal party had held the seat since it’s creation in 1984.
Wilson triumphed at the pre-selection beating out two female candidates Colleen Harkin and Stephanie Hunt.
In a statement the Liberal party said Wilson had a deep commitment to public service.
“Tim has been driven to run for Goldstein at the next federal election by his deeply principled commitment to integrity in public service and his belief that the Goldstein community is worth fighting for,” it read.
“He is committed to strengthening the pathway to home ownership for young residents in Goldstein to make owning their own home a reality, to ensure they have the opportunity to build strong families and strong communities.”
Who is Tim Wilson?
Prior to entering parliament Wilson worked at the Institute of Public Affairs where he developed a public profile as a television pundit speaking about climate change policy and free trade.
In 2014 he was appointed the Human Rights Commission, a surprising move given his longstanding criticism of the organisation. Dubbed ‘The Freedom Commissioner’ he worked at the commission for several years.
Wilson was a campaigner for marriage equality during the 2017 postal survey, be married his husband Ryan Bolger in 2018.
Wilson has previously argued that religious discrimination laws are needed and discrimination of LGBT people under the caveat of religious belief should be protected. His stance has been praised by the Australian Christian Lobby.
Wilson is a proponent of allowing people to withdraw their superannuation to be able to invest in their first property.
Zoe Daniels confirms she’ll be running for a second term
Zoe Daniel responded to the news of Wilson’s preselection by confirming that she too would be running again.
“The Liberal Party has preselected Tim Wilson for the seat of Goldstein at the next election. It’s a party decision made in what they believe is their best interest.” Daniel said in a social media post.
“I am proud to be a community-backed Independent, acting in the best interest of my community. I will run again.” she added.
OIP Staff
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