Josh Frydenberg 'not rushing back to politics'
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The news: Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg has ended speculation he will attempt to run for his old seat of Kooyong, after backlash from some former colleagues over the idea.
The numbers: Frydenberg was the highest-profile casualty of the teal wave at the last election, losing Kooyong to independent Monqiue Ryan on a 9.3% swing. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) announced on Friday that the neighbouring Labor-held seat of Higgins will be abolished, with Kooyong to absorb around 30,000 of its voters.
The context: Media speculation surfaced over the weekend that Frydenberg was now reconsidering his decision not to stand in Kooyong after the AEC’s announcement, which some Liberals claimed made the seat more winnable.
Frydenberg did not hose down the claims until Monday morning, and his potential return divided his old colleagues.
Hamer, a 31-year-old Oxford graduate, was elected to challenge Ryan at the next election, with Frydenberg declining to nominate. But after the redistribution, a group of Coalition MPs publicly supported the prospect of his return at Hamer’s expense.
What they said: Frydenberg took to X — formerly Twitter — to reject the claims, saying: “I am not rushing back to politics, my position on contesting the next election remains unchanged. I will continue to support the Liberal Party and our local candidate Amelia Hamer".
The source: X
