Congratulations to the Yes/No organisers on the referendum result.

I, for one, never subscribed to the view that Australia would be the loser no matter who won as the referendum had divided the country.

On the contrary, a basically civilised campaign has put first and foremost on the agenda what we still need to do as a nation to improve the lot (especially in remote and rural Australia) of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fellow citizens. We need to listen to their concerns and ideas on how to let them do things better themselves and what help they need to do so.

The campaign also threw up a rare individual who has seized the imagination of the country: namely NT Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price – a conviction, tell-it-as-it-is, no-nonsense, straight-shooting, no-spin politician who, in my view, can go right to the top. These are positive things all round. We need to now get on with it and work together. 

Recently, our former Liberal Senator for the ACT Zed Seselja has indicated he is throwing his hat in the ring for the NSW Senate vacancy. 

I think it may be a sensible move by Zed, because unless the ACT goes to three or more senators before the next election were he to be pre-selected here and there were only two senators to vote for, the current incumbents would continue in their jobs. Very few people I talk to would leave David Pocock at this stage to vote for Zed. Katy Gallagher has not covered herself in glory as a minister, but Labor would get the required 33.33 per cent needed regardless. Even a fresh new Liberal candidate would struggle at this stage. By standing, Zed at least keeps his name before the punters.

Could Zed win the preselection in NSW? I doubt it. Even if Peter Dutton really pushed hard for him, Zed is not a New South Welshman. NSW is very parochial. They did not like hosting the Kookaburras or Belconnen Blue Devils in their respective rugby and soccer competitions. Even the exceptional Jim Molan was put fourth on the 2019 ticket behind two virtually unknown Liberal candidates.

I was handing out how to vote Jim Molan cards at a Manly polling booth on election day 2019, and had a great chat with my old colleague, the effervescent and controversial Connie Fierravanti-Wells (Miss ANU Rugby 1985!), who was not voting for Jim. She, like Jim, was a right winger and the two main candidates were moderates. I found that bizarre, but then again, the NSW division of the Liberal Party can be bizarre – and parochial. 

I know Andrew Constance well. He was a principled, good local member and minister in NSW. Similarly, Dave Sharma is a quality candidate. They are both moderates; I have no idea who the right has (except Zed). I’m assuming both factions are good at stacking. I suspect parochialism will win out. Still, stranger things have happened, and Zed is a very able politician.