'I'm not going away': Teal candidate Nicolette Boele's second shot
Boele has kept up the pressure since a strong showing in 2022. Now, with long-serving MP Paul Fletcher retiring, she’s making a another bid to turn Bradfield teal.
For a split second, Nicolette Boele appears to roll her eyes at the first mention of outgoing Liberal member Paul Fletcher. It turns out the independent candidate for Bradfield is simply enjoying her first bite of lunch.
It’s just past 2pm, and she hasn’t eaten all day.
“Quite genuinely, hats off to anybody who stands for election and does this kind of service. It's not for the faint-hearted,” Boele says.
“So, call out to Paul: good job.”
If another blue-ribbon Liberal seat falls to a teal at this election, it’s likely to be Bradfield in Sydney’s north. Boele dramatically cut Fletcher’s margin in 2022, and betting odds suggest she’s closing in again.
By May, the seat could be out of Liberal hands for the first time in its 75-year history.
