The former Liberal party leader John Hewson has all but urged voters in Wentworth to reject the party he once led, telling them to register a protest vote over the government’s failure to tackle climate change.
Hewson, who held the blue ribbon Sydney seat between 1987 and 1995, said the byelection was ripe for the taking for a “significant independent”, a likely nod to the candidate considered a chance to claim the seat from the Liberals, Kerryn Phelps.
“This byelection is a unique opportunity to register a protest vote,” he said as he campaigned with Stop Adani activists in Bondi on Saturday.
Phelps is hoping to capitalise on the cause of the 20 October byelection – the deposition of Malcolm Turnbull as leader – and Hewson noted to voters on Saturday that the former prime minister had lost his position “fighting for the national electricity guarantee, which is the fourth best solution”.
Hewson said the Wentworth electorate, considered progressive on environmental and social issues, wanted “a decisive emissions strategy, they want a transition from coal and fossil fuels to renewables”.
Speaking to Guardian Australia on Saturday afternoon, he denied that he was specifically advocating a vote against the Liberals.
But he repeatedly emphasised that the seat was “ripe for a protest vote” and also noted that Phelps had taken a “pretty strong position on the environment”.
“Whoever wins this byelection is only going to hold the seat for a few months, maybe to May next year, when there would be a general election when people have a chance to vote again,” Hewson said.
“So they could register a very strong protest vote in this byelection and then vote according to the responses from the major parties by the time of the next general election.”
Asked if a person voting on the environment should not the support the Liberals, Hewson said “that’s probably right”. He also suggested that a Liberal loss might “create a change in [the government’s] thinking” if it was clear environment was the key issue on election day.
“I’m not going to run an argument against [Dave] Sharma per se, I think his hands are tied,” Hewson said. “I think he’s a good candidate but I think his hands are tied on climate.”
On Thursday, a ReachTel poll conducted for the Clover Moore-backed independent in Wentworth, Licia Heath, suggested the Liberals were at risk of losing the seat, with Sharma ahead 51% to 49% on a two-party-preferred basis.
Sharma has said he believes anthropogenic climate change is real and needs addressing. He has previously told Guardian Australia: “There is only one Liberal candidate in the race and that’s me. If people want to see a Liberal government in Canberra, they should vote for me.”
He said on Saturday: “If I’m elected on 20 October, I will be a strong voice in government ensuring that we met our international commitments.
“Better use of technology can help us to both meet our emissions reduction targets and improve energy affordability and security.”
Phelps said she was “delighted” by Hewson’s comments.
“People are sick of inaction by governments and the Liberals have been paralysed on this for about a decade or more, and the Labor policy doesn’t go far enough,” she told Guardian Australia.
Simon Fosterling, a Stop Adani campaigner and Bondi surf lifesaver, said on Saturday Wentworth voters wanted “an MP who will put the community and the future of our kids before coal companies like Adani”.
Previous polling has indicated that climate change policy, housing affordability and education are important issues for Wentworth voters.
The ReachTel poll on Thursday put Sharma’s predicted primary vote at 40.6%, a sharp decline from Turnbull’s 62.26% first-preference vote performance in 2016.
Labor, which is being represented by Tim Murray, had a first-preference vote of 19.5% – up 2 percentage points on 2016, the poll said.
