A former adviser to Malcolm Turnbull will take on Tony Abbott in Warringah, the second independent to enter the field to unseat the former prime minister.
On Tuesday the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Alice Thompson, Turnbull’s cities and infrastructure adviser, had resigned from her role at KPMG to contest the seat.
Thompson confirmed her candidacy via a comment on LinkedIn that she is “not just doing this to stop Tony’s mission to be leader of the Liberals and prime minister”.
“I’m running because I have good ideas for Warringah and the nation and a track record of getting things done in government for the public interest,” she said.
Thompson said she will focus on infrastructure, the environment and the economy, and had learned from other independents who can “deliver for communities in safe seats and unblock reforms that got stuck in our binary two-party-preferred system”.
“For 25 years Warringah has missed out on vital infrastructure while population grew,” she said.
“I know how to do this and will get Warringah’s fair share of attention and funding.”
Thompson joins Indigenous broadcaster Susan Moylan-Coombs in planning an independent run for the seat.
The public education advocate and social commentator Jane Caro has also expressed an interest in running but warned against splitting the vote in the usually safe Liberal seat. Abbott is being targeted by GetUp and local grassroots groups who object to his conservatism on issues including climate change and same-sex marriage.
Despite working for Turnbull from November 2015 to October 2017, Thompson is not regarded as having deep links in the Liberal party, having come from a public service background.
Before working for Turnbull, Thompson worked in the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Infrastructure Australia, UrbanGrowth NSW, the Department of Infrastructure and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Liberals are concerned that Moylan-Coombs and Thompson may not be the last independents to put up their hand for the seat, with Warringah mayor Michael Regan topping the list of potential candidates.
Surfing legend Layne Beachley is unlikely to run but has urged Abbott to leave and accused him of projecting his own beliefs on to the more moderate lower north shore Sydney electorate.
Abbott retained Warringah at the 2016 election with an 11.5% margin after a last-minute intervention from Turnbull in the form of a robocall, due to fears the Liberals could lose the seat.
