Latest news with #PaulFletcher
News.com.au
5 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Bradfield recount: Liberals poised to lose blue ribbon Sydney seat to teal independent Nicolette Boele
The Liberals are poised to lose the blue ribbon seat of Bradfield to teal independent Nicolette Boele following a closely watched recount. Gladys Berejiklian-backed candidate Gisele Kapterian is currently trailing Ms Boele by 27 votes, despite winning the first count by eight votes, triggering an automatic recount. Sky News called the electorate for the Climate-200 backed independent, and the Australian Electoral Commission is set to officially announce the winner later today. An AEC spokesman said about 99.9 per cent of the vote had been counted with Ms Boele ahead by 27 votes. The seat was previously held by former Morrison-era minister Paul Fletcher who retired at the last election. Ms Kapterian, who had been given an assistant shadow cabinet portfolio contingent on her win, now has the option to contest the result at the Court of Disputed Returns, which would most likely result in a by-election.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Explosive election turnaround as surprise Teal candidate Nicolette Boele suddenly jumps AHEAD in race against Liberal Gisele Kapterian
A Teal challenger who was declared down and out by all media organisations has now sensationally leapt ahead of her Liberal rival. Climate200-backed candidate Nicolette Boele is now 19 votes in front of her Liberal rival Gisele Kapterian in the extremely tight battle for the seat of Bradfield in Sydney 's north, with 268 votes still to be counted. 'In Bradfield 181 postal votes added that split 125 Boele (IND) to 56 Kapterian (LIB),' ABC election analyst Antony Green posted on X. 'This is a gain on 69 votes and puts Boele 19 votes ahead. According to the AEC at 2:20(pm) there are 268 votes to be dealt with.' It has been a rollercoaster count with Boele at one stage looking like she had claimed the seat before Kapterian pulled ahead late last week. On Monday last week, most media organisations called the result for Kapterian, who was replacing retired Liberal member Paul Fletcher. At that stage, ABC election analyst Antony Green said there were only around 1,000 votes left to be counted and he predicted Kapterian would hold onto her 200-odd lead. But then the Teal challenger, who made headlines for all the wrong reasons during the campaign when she made a sexualised comment to a hairdresser, narrowed the gap to just 69 votes, before pulling ahead on Monday afternoon. Neither Kapterian or Boele has declared victory or conceded defeat. During the election campaign, Boele was banned from the Envy Room salon across the road from her office after she allegedly told a 19-year-old female staff member who had washed her hair: 'That was amazing - and I didn't even have sex with you', according to 2GB. A staff member at the salon subsequently told Daily Mail Australia that Boele had been banned 'indefinitely'. 'She (the staff member) was in shock and quite upset afterwards,' the staff member added. 'We wrote to her (Boele) last week to tell her that we will no longer have her here.' Boele, who styled herself as the 'Shadow Representative for the People of Bradfield', admitted it was a 'poor attempt at humour and I've apologised'. 'Everyone deserves to feel respected in their workplace and I will do better,' she said. it is the second attempt she has made to win the seat of Bradfield.
News.com.au
14-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Bradfield back in doubt after postal vote surge for Teal candidate
The Sydney seat of Bradfield is back in play after an influx of postal ballots pushed up the vote for teal independent Nicolette Boele. The electorate has been in Liberal Party hands since its creation in 1949. It appeared as though it would stay that way earlier this week, with Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian on track to succeed Paul Fletcher – who represented Bradfield for 16 years – as member. But the vote count took an unexpected turn on Wednesday after hundreds of declaration pre-poll votes slashed Ms Kapterian's lead. At reporting, official Australian Electoral Commission data put Ms Kapterian ahead by just 80 votes, with 3.36 per cent swing toward Ms Boele. A recount would be automatically triggered if the final margin ended up below 100. 'The AEC counts all votes three times, if it's under 100 then we will do an automatic recount but if not, there needs to be a good reason,' an AEC spokesperson said. 'There is one more round of postal votes and remote voting to be counted today.' As of Wednesday afternoon, between 1000 and 1500 votes still needed to be counted. Ms Kapterian has already been welcomed to the Liberal Party room and voted in Tuesday's leadership contest. Three other seats remain unresolved – Calwell and Flinders in Victoria and Longman in Brisbane. Sydney
ABC News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
VIDEO: Will the phenomenon of the teal independents continue?
While Bradfield did not succumb to the teal tide at the last election, independent Nicolette Boele lost to Liberal MP Paul Fletcher - but only just. Teal independent candidate Nicolette Boele speaks to 7.30's Sarah Ferguson about her second shot at winning the seat of Bradfield.
Perth Now
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Welcome to Country tension erupts on Q&A
Debate over the appropriate place of Welcome to Country ceremonies threw the ABC's flagship Q and A program into acrimony on Monday night, with accusations of 'gutter politics' and 'straw man' arguments quickly emerging in the heated exchanges between panellists. Audience member Peter asked how the debate around the ceremonies could be resolved 'amicably' and 'in the interest of all parties concerned' following days of campaign trail division between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton on the matter. Liberal MP Paul Fletcher said the country needed to recognise the 'distinctive place' of Indigenous Australians but suggested many across society felt there were now too many ceremonies. The issue has escalated in the federal election after neo Nazis booed a Welcome to Country from Bunurong man Uncle Mark Brown at Melbourne's Anzac Day Dawn Service at the Shrine of Remembrance. Both sides of politics reacted with anger to the scenes and condemned the disruptive behaviour. Tanya Plibersek and Paul Fletcher battled on the ABC's flagship Q and A program on Monday night. ABC Credit: Supplied But Mr Dutton has since said the ceremonies were losing their significance because of overuse and has suggested they might not be appropriate for Anzac Day services. On Monday night, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek backed the ceremonies on Anzac Day and said acknowledging the service of Indigenous Australians in the military was 'perfectly appropriate'. Mr Fletcher said veterans should determine the matter. When Ms Plibersek shot back and said he was speaking as though 'we don't have Indigenous veterans', Mr Fletcher accused her of deploying 'straw man rhetoric', or suggesting she was not engaging directly with his position. 'I can tell you the role of Indigenous people in defending Australia over many conflicts has been very significant,' he said. 'Nobody is contesting that for a second.' Neo Nazis disrupted the Anzac Day Dawn Service in Melbourne. NewsWire/ Nadir Kinani Credit: News Corp Australia Greens leader Adam Bandt accused Mr Dutton of 'gutter politics' on the issue 'It's gutter politics from an Opposition leader whose campaign is in free fall and he's starting to punch down,' he said. 'Peter Dutton was the master of misinformation during the (Voice) referendum which is what was referred to there, spreading all sorts of lies about what was going to happen. 'He's playing from the Trump play book as his campaign is in free fall. Punching down. Playing from the Trump play book and we'll call it out.' Sydney Morning Herald political editor Peter Hartcher said the outlines of a resolution were already in place because both leaders accepted host institutions should determine whether or not to hold a ceremony. Abbot's Desperate Phone Call Greens leader Adam Bandt revealed an unexpected personal phone call from Tony Abbott after the 2010 election on Monday's Q and A. ABC Credit: Supplied In a discussion around how the major parties might respond to a hung parliament, Mr Bandt revealed former Liberal prime minister and climate change sceptic Tony Abbott had called him after the 2010 election to try and gain his support. 'He (Abbott) rang me,' Mr Bandt told the panel. 'He said, 'Hi, Adam, it's Tony Abbott here. I've always considered myself a bit of an environmentalist. I think we should talk'.' The Q and An audience erupted with laughter. 'It was a very short conversation and Peter Dutton would get the same response this time,' Mr Bandt said. 'Everyone says they're not going to talk but I would be astounded if they refused to respect the parliament that the Australian people select.'
