The ability of the major parties to have their management committees vet preselections by the members has always vexed me. I can see it is sometimes necessary, but it has not always led to good results. 

I saw it for the first time in 1995 when the Liberal Party management committee ignored the members’ choice of ex-director Gwen Wilcox to run for the seat of Canberra in the Ros Kelly whiteboard byelection. They replaced her with then youthful Brendan Smyth as he fitted the Tuggeranong demographic better: 30 to 40, married, two kids, and a mortgage. Brendan subsequently won the seat against a Labor apparatchik … but lost it in the 1996 election eight months later to the popular former MLA Annette Ellis.

Local Liberal Leader Elizabeth Lee used her position on the management committee to fill the two vacant positions left in Ginninderra and Yerrabi with two no doubt very able women. However, I feel her not selecting retiring police legend Mick Calatzis was not a good move. 

I don’t believe in quotas. In my view, the best person for the job should get it. I believe in merit.

Now, I hasten to add, I don’t have a woman problem. Indeed, my favourite politician was a woman: Margaret Thatcher. Maggie hated quotas. There was a saying that she was the only man in the cabinet anyway. She got to be PM on pure merit and ability, and against a lot of chauvinistic opposition from her less able male colleagues. 

I also had the pleasure of serving as minister under the ACT’s best Chief Minister, Kate Carnell. Now, Kate was somewhat more left-wing than Maggie, but she did a great job for Canberra.

My late wife also hated quotas and said she’d never take a job if it was offered to her just because she was a woman.

I must say, I think some of the new Liberal candidates look quite impressive, but I was concerned to see Calatzis miss out. First in central Canberra (Kurrajong), where I think he would have ensured the Liberals get their second seat back (he lives there and knows a lot of the local Greeks.) Then he was pipped six-all (with the chair having the casting vote) in Ginninderra where he has strong connections, having been a member of Belconnen Police Station. His presence on the ticket would have ensured the Libs retain their second seat and possibly pick up a third, or at least ensured a non-Green/Labor independent member picks up the last seat. 

At first glance, the new candidates that impress me are Mick Gentleman’s former boss in the TWU, Darren Roberts, and journalist Joe Prevedello in Ginninderra. Jerry Nockles in Kurrajong also seems impressive (ex-RAN), as does Ramon Bouckaert (a very articulate young bloke). I would expect one of the three ladies (Rosa Harber, Sandi Mitra, and Deborah Morris) seeking to join Mark Parton in the Brindabella electorate will win the seat vacated by retiring member Nicole Lawder.