19 November 2019

Federal candidates back up amid multicultural push in Lib preselections

| Ian Bushnell
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Dr Krishna Nadimpalli

Dr Krishna Nadimpalli is vying to stand in Yerrabi. Photo: Canberra Hindu Mandir.

Three of the four losing candidates in the May Federal election are lining up to re-enter the political fray, standing for Liberal Party preselection next week for the 2020 Legislative Assembly poll in October.

They will be joined by several candidates from the multicultural community, including University of Canberra environmental scientist and chair of the Canberra Hindu Mandir, Dr Krishna Nadimpalli.

Robert Gunning, who was No. 2 on the Senate ticket, Ed Cocks (Bean) and Leanne Castley (Fenner) are vying to keep their political ambitions alive, albeit on the smaller stage of the Assembly.

Mr Gunning is hoping to run in Belconnen-based Ginninderra, Mr Cocks in the south in Murrumbidgee and Ms Castley in the Gungahlin-based Yerrabi.

Businesswoman Jane Hiatt, a former Senate candidate whom Mr Cocks defeated in the Bean preselection, has again put her hand up, in Brindabella.

Sitting Liberal MLAs, except for the retiring Vicki Dunne, have already been preselected in the first round of voting.

Liberal candidates with Senator Zed Seselja (centre)

The ACT’s federal Liberal candidates in 2019. Ed Cocks, Leanne Castley, Senator Zed Seselja, Mina Zaki and Robert Gunning. Mr Cocks, Ms Castley and Mr Gunning are pursuing a Legislative Assembly career. Photo: Supplied.

Second round voting starts next Monday, 25 November, and continues through to Friday, 29 November.

Dr Nadimpalli, a leader in the Indian and Hindu community, was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia in this year’s Queens Birthday Honours and in 2015 received the ACT Multicultural Advocacy Award 2015. He is running in Yerrabi.

He is an executive member for many community organisations including the Canberra Hindu Mandir, Federation of Telugu Associations in Australia, Art of Living Canberra, Canberra Interfaith Form and Canberra Mother Language Movement. Professionally, Dr Nadimpalli is an environmental scientist and Adjunct Associate Professor in Canberra.

Dr Nadimpalli was born in a remote village in India and describes himself as self-made person.

Other candidates from the multicultural community include some who are no strangers to politics. Vijay Dubey ran as an independent in Ginninderra in 2016 but is now pinning his hopes on the central Kurrajong electorate.

Jacob Vadakkedathu, who was on the Liberal ticket in Yerrabi last time, is again looking to stand in the northern electorate.

Amardeep Singh is running in Murrumbidgee and Ignatius Rozario, who ran in Ginninderra in 2016, will again contest the seat.

Other candidates are James Daniels and Emmanuel Ezekiel-Hart in Brindabella; Peter Cain, Kacey Lam and Alan Tutt in Ginninderra; Robert Johnson and Patrick Pentony in Kurrajong; and Sarah Suine in Murrumbidgee.

The Canberra Liberals will field five candidates in each of the five electorates.

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Thank you Sol. Heaven forbid a Conservative (pretending to be Liberal) government with Zed pulling the strings

I have a dream that ACT election candidates will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

8 Women and 16 men. Not surprised – each and every one is a Neolib candidate. Where are the true Liberals? Can’t wait to see Anthony Pesecs’ response.

This is less a ‘multicultural push’ than it is a surging awareness amongst culturally and linguistically diverse Canberrans that the values that brought them to Australia in the first place are nowhere to be found in ACT Labor or the Greens.

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