Independent candidate for Gilmore Kate Dezarnaulds blasted for describing Berry as 'miserable, backwards retirement village' in email

Sky News AU

29-04-2025

Liberal candidate for Gilmore Andrew Constance has delivered a damning assessment of independent candidate Kate Dezarnaulds after a "poorly worded" email she sent about a town in the electorate was leaked.
The email which was sent by Ms Dezarnaulds to Shoalhaven Council employees on May 29 last year, was acquired by The Daily Telegraph.
In the message, the independent and former Berry Business Chamber president delivered some choice words for the regional town.
"My term as president finishes in August and I cannot wait to get the hell out of this miserable, backwards retirement village," she said.
The Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Gilmore, Andrew Constance, stood up for Berry residents in response to the almost year-old email, as he aims to break Labor's Fiona Phillips' six-year hold on the electorate.
"Berry is not a miserable, backwards retirement village. It is a beautiful community with amazing people, incredible volunteers. Our seniors community don't deserve this type of attitude out of a Climate 200, Simon Holmes a Court-backed candidate," he told Sky News on Tuesday.
"We're a harmonious community, and obviously caught out with what she said. We will continue to fight hard, as I have always done, to make sure our local communities are not maligned, and that's what's happened here.
"It's a matter for her, we're just going to get on and continue to work with great communities."
Locals were outraged over the independent's remarks, taking to a community page on Facebook to voice their opposition to voting for her.
'She is nothing more than a miserable, backward, fowl (sic) candidate who thinks she is self righteous and above the law – not a candidate you want to represent you!' one said.
'Bagging retirees who have self-funded their sunset years, while she runs for office on someone else's money,' another posted.
Others defended the Gilmore candidate, saying the email had been taken out of context.
"She wasn't (knocking the town). She was talking about the committee she was volunteering in," one said.
"While Kate's comments are unfortunate and she has admitted the error, I think everyone needs to look at the bigger picture and all the amazing things she has done and is going to do for our community," another said.
Ms Dezarnaulds admitted to the Daily Telegraph her comments in the email were "poorly worded" but they were part of a broader context in which she was frustrated after stonewalling by Shoalhaven City Council over requests for transparency about community asset management.
'Anyone familiar with the dynamics of Berry's community groups will understand the occasional frustrations felt by those pushing for positive change against the resistance of a very vocal minority of our mostly wonderful retired residents," she said.
She also hit out at the Liberal Party for attempting to stir outrage against her from locals days out from the election.
'If that's the worst they can find about me on the eve of a federal election, the people of Gilmore should sleep as soundly as I do,' she said.