Liberal Ed Cocks to replace Giulia Jones in countback surprise

Perennial Liberal candidate Ed Cocks will finally take a seat in a parliament, replacing Giulia Jones to represent the southern electorate of Murrumbidgee in the Legislative Assembly in a countback boilover.

Mr Cocks was not in most people’s reckonings, with fellow Liberal Amardeep Singh thought to be the expected victor.

But at today’s Elections ACT countback at the Assembly at 12:30 pm to determine who would replace former deputy leader Giulia Jones, it was Ed Cocks’ name that Commissioner Damian Cantwell read out after the computer did its work.

Mr Cocks said he was humbled to be elected and looked forward to hitting the ground running with leader Elizabeth Lee and representing his electorate.

Asked whether he was surprised at the result, Mr Cocks said he knew it would be close.

“I was hopeful,” he said.

“Amardeep ran a fantastic campaign during the election and he would have been a great representative as well.”

Mr Cocks did not pinpoint any particular issues he wanted to pursue but said his priority was to make sure people were heard.

“I’ve always wanted to make sure Canberrans and people in Woden, Weston Creek and southern Canberra have really good representation,” he said.

“While I was campaigning, I knocked on a lot of doors and heard from a lot of people who didn’t feel like they were being heard. My priority is really to get out there and represent my electorate.”

Ms Lee welcomed Mr Cocks to the team and said she looked forward to working with him.

“He’s been a great candidate a number of times, as you know, for the Liberal Party and has been at the forefront of standing up against decentralisation in Canberra, standing up for Canberra jobs,” she said.

“He did that very well as a policy convener within the party and is somebody who’s been a lifelong Canberran who really knows the Canberra electorate.”

Ms Lee said Mr Cocks brought a wealth of experience from his time working in the Australian Public Service, especially in his current role at the federal Department of Health.

“In that role, Ed has had a strong focus on mental health policy and I have no doubt he will be an asset for the Canberra Liberals and the people of Murrumbidgee as we head towards the 2024 election,” she said.

Mr Cocks is a father of two, has served on a school board, and has been heavily involved in local community councils.

Mr Singh said the countback was a very complex process and he never took it for granted that he would take the seat.

“I won’t use the word disappointed because I don’t want to be disrespectful towards the enthusiasm and excitement of Ed Cocks,” he said.

Mr Singh said he would be back in 2024 for another tilt at the Assembly.

Mr Cocks was one of six candidates who contested the casual vacancy countback: Fiona Carrick (Independent), Ed Cocks (Canberra Liberals), Stephen Lin (Canberra Progressives), Amardeep Singh (Canberra Liberals), Sarah Suine (Canberra Liberals) and Brendan Whyte (Independent).

Mr Cantwell said Mr Cocks received a majority of preferences after Mrs Jones’ votes were distributed by computer count, which only took a matter of minutes.

Mrs Jones announced her resignation from the Assembly in May, citing family commitments and health reasons.

The mother of six stepped down as Deputy Leader in January and then took an extended period of leave.