The Liberals’ chosen candidate for Bean, Jane Hiatt, with a recent award from Disaster Relief Australia, where she volunteers. Photo: Facebook.
The Canberra Liberals’ Jane Hiatt will be confirmed as their candidate for Bean in the 2022 Federal election after standing unopposed at the party’s recent preselection.
In his weekly email to members, President John Cziesla said the party’s Management Committee would meet in mid-January to endorse the Bean preselection result, as well as finalise the arrangements for the Canberra preselection on 7 February.
Bean is held by Labor’s David Smith on a healthy 7.5 per cent margin.
Ms Hiatt is an experienced candidate. She contested the seat of Brindabella in the 2020 ACT election, was unsuccessful in the Bean pre-selection in 2019, which was won by Ed Cocks, and in 2016 she was second on the Liberal ticket for the Senate.
She is a small business owner, mother of four, linguist, naval servicewoman, educator and ultra-marathon runner.
She moved with her husband to Canberra after leaving full-time service in the Navy to raise their family in 1993.
They started a family business in the dental industry. Ms Hiatt says her passion for education prompted her to start her own successful tuition business in 2002 in Tuggeranong.
Ms Hiatt also volunteers for Disaster Relief Australia.
The Liberals preselected Nathan Kuster for the northern seat of Fenner earlier this year while Kacey Lam-Evans will fill the Senate No 2 slot with Senator Zed Seselja.*
Mr Cziesla also noted the entry of former Australian rugby union captain David Pocock into the election arena, running for the Senate.
But he dismissed his chances and expected Senator Seselja to see off this challenger like the many before him.
“No doubt you have all heard the not entirely unexpected announcement that left-wing political activist and former footballer David Pocock has announced he will be running for an ACT Senate seat,” he said.
“Unlike Labor, the Canberra Liberals have never taken a Senate seat for granted and have, and always will, fight for every vote.
“It is, however, also worth noting that in every Federal election since 1977, we have faced a high profile challenger with the accompanying media commentary that the seat is under threat.”
The federal poll is expected to be held in March or May. With opinion polling favouring Labor, Prime Minister Scott Morrison may hold off facing the voters for as long as possible.
*It was originally reported that the Liberals were yet to find candidates for Fenner and the second spot on the Senate list. This was incorrect and the reporter’s error.
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