Libs settle on O’Connor to take on Plibersek
Young inner-city Liberal Party up-and-comer Sean O’Connor has been preselected to take on Health Minister Tanya Plibersek’s safe Labor seat of Sydney at next year’s federal election.
The openly gay marketing manager for Caltex Australia had narrowly missed out on a council seat at September’s local government elections for the City of Sydney after running third on the ticket for the Liberals. It is believed that bid was used by the Liberal Party as an opportunity to raise O’Connor’s profile in the community.
Having lived in the inner-city for the past eight years and currently residing in Darlinghurst with his partner, O’Connor has shown himself to be a keen student of business after gaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business and Management over the past 12 years as well as an MBA obtained in Paris.
“I don’t think that any Labor MP should be considering their seat safe at this next election,” O’Connor told SX this week.
“Tanya Plibersek is a senior minister in a failed government and that is her legacy. I will be running a grass roots campaign and meeting as many people in the electorate as I can.
“One thing is for sure though – a number of businesses and individuals are doing it tough and the prospect of another four years of this bad government is a scary thought.”
O’Connor told SX that like his federal leader Tony Abbott he was extremely concerned about the impact of the carbon tax on business despite Treasury calculations showing the consumer price index will only increase by 0.7 per cent in 2012-2013 because of the tax compared to an increase of almost 2.5 per cent when the GST and related changes were introduced.
“The Labor party drawing parallels to the GST is welcome. John Howard and the Liberal Party were upfront with the electorate before the election, Julia Gillard said “no carbon tax” before the election and lied,” O’Connor said.
“Not only will it increase the cost of living, but it will not achieve its main objective of reducing global emissions. The Sydney electorate will feel the pain of this carbon tax when they pay their electricity bill.
“Businesses will feel the cost pressures as they will have no choice but to keep their fridges on to keep their food chilled, and their computers on to do their work.”
In response to O’Connor’s preselection, Plibersek told SX she was preparing to run a positive campaign highlighting important social reforms being undertaken by the Gillard Government like the National Broadband Network, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and better dental care.
“Whomever the Liberal Party preselects for the federal seat of Sydney must lay out their own positive plan for Australia’s future, instead of the same destructive negativity Australians see from their leader, Mr Abbott,” Plibersek added.
Plibersek, who has held the seat since 1998, gained over 43 per cent of the primary vote at the last federal election in 2010 despite a swing of almost six per cent against her.
- Tags: Caltex, Carbon Tax, Federal Election, Federal Parliament, Labor Party, Liberal Party, Openly Gay, Politics, Preselection, Sean O'Connor, SX, Sydney, Tanya Plibersek
Comments (5)
Oh no! Not another mini Tony Abbot! Carbon Tax! Doomsday is coming! Hear Hear! Please... some vision and not some mimi-cry about the carbon tax and a failed government. Julia's government has passed more bills than year than any other government in history!
Remember John Howard and his core promises and non-core promises! Besides, if Julia had a majority in parliament, she would not have to negotiate with the independents and Greens to legislate for the carbon tax. Many people fail to understand that! I bet this mincing poodle fails to understand that too!
Sean! Best to go back mincing around Oxford Street, love!
What is wrong with these homo conservatives. They may be happy to 'sit at the back of the bus' The rest of us want to sit u the front where we belong. Our hard earned rights and freedoms have been delivered to us from the left not from the conservatives.The NSW liberals have no idea .. once again they think they can drop one of their pink poodles into an election in an inner city seat and think we will be stupid enough to vote for a party that continues to deny us human rights.You would think after the catagorical rejection of the liberals Shayne Mallard in the recent Sydney by election they might have learned a thing or two ...obviously not.
Let him represent Blacktown in his same-sex union and see how far he gets.
So it's a "failed government and that is her legacy" he is running against. So, ho hum, he's gay. So, no doubt his dear leader - sorry, wait, wasn't he against letting his mob have a free vote about gay marriage, got to love that one? Oh, and that carbon tax thingie, now Caltex would be for that wouldn't they?But his federal leader Tony Abbott: he was extremely concerned about the impact of the carbon tax - they tell me that there will be no ability to manufacture hi-vis vests and hard hats -how awfull!!! - being a Caltex man who have started to move their refining off-shore is important I guess. Oh I'm so sorry - I just get a bit sick of this - what is he proposing he will actually do? Sucking up to Abbott doesn't do it for me. Policies dear, don't care if your orientation is black or blue - what do you intend to stand for?
Sorry, the “ I am gay and you should vote Liberal darlings” does not work for me. Sean O’Connor might well be a good man and candidate, but giving him a vote helps Tony Abbott. I have to look at the policy of the party, and the LNP hates fellow Australians who are same-sex attracted. After years of LNP rule, we were not included in the Federal Equal Opportunity Act, and they put aside terrorist legislation to rush legislation altering the Marriage Act, banning same-sex attracted Australians from marriage. To me it is simple, if the party cannot accept equal Civil Rights, then they can fuck off thanks!