Josh Frydenberg is considering a return to federal politics at the next election.
The ABC’s Insiders program revealed the former treasurer was considering a run for the seat of Kooyong, which he lost to independent Monique Ryan at the last federal election, after the electoral commission on Friday proposed favourable new boundaries for the seat.
But the Liberal Party has already pre-selected a candidate for the seat, 31-year-old former finance professional Amelia Hamer.
That means Mr Frydenberg would need the administrative committee of the Victorian Liberal Party to reopen the pre-selection process.
That has prompted a backlash from some sections of the Liberal Party. Charlotte Mortlock, who chairs the Hilma’s network, an organisation devoted to supporting women for pre-selection, told the ABC the party should not “throw impressive women out just because men have a change of heart”.
“Amelia had overwhelming support from party members in her preselection and has been working hard and campaigning for months,” she said.
“If Josh wanted to go for the seat, he had ample opportunity months ago.”
The committee itself is understood to be split.
Monique Ryan won the seat in 2022 with a margin of 2.9 per cent. ABC election analyst Antony Green estimates the new boundaries, which are still in draft form, would cut that to 0.5 per cent, still notionally an independent seat but more favourable than before.
The proposed boundaries would also abolish the neighbouring seat of Higgins, a once-safe Liberal seat won at the last election by Labor’s Michelle Ananda-Rajah, displacing Liberal Katie Allen. Dr Allen had been pre-selected to recontest Higgins.
Mr Frydenberg, who is currently the chair of Goldman Sachs Australia, recently hosted a documentary on Sky News about anti-Semitism. He was widely regarded as a potential candidate for the Liberal leadership prior to his preselection.
He congratulated Ms Hamer when she was pre-selected in March, saying he was “looking forward to supporting [her] and the party in the campaign ahead”.
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