Wentworth by-election: Do you think change is good?

Amelie Mueller

Jessica Smith

Noa Rosenzveig

As some of you may know, Dr Kerryn Phelps AM will probably win the Wentworth by-election 51.2% – 48.8% against Dave Sharma, the Liberal candidate. The whole affair started with Malcolm Turnbull’s removal as Prime Minister and his resignation from politics. This sparked fury in the voters of Wentworth, as he was very popular in the area. The Wentworth area includes Bellevue Hill, Bondi, Clovelly (part), Darlinghurst (part), Darling Point, Dover Heights, Elizabeth Bay, Moore Park, Paddington, Point Piper, Rose Bay, Vaucluse, Watsons Bay and Waverly. Phelps ends over 100 years of  the Liberals holding the seat.

Graham Richardson from The Australian stated what a disaster this is. He thinks that it will take a few years to sort out. Before the election, Alex Turnbull, the former PM’s son, posted a video on Facebook, stating not to vote Liberals. After the whole event, Alex tweeted his congratulations on the incredible result of the elections.

Scott Morrison, the current Prime Minister, acknowledged Wentworth voters’ anger at the Liberals for getting rid of Malcolm Turnbull. He stated that the party was to blame for not winning, not Dave Sharma. He was venting his opinions to the crowd when he and Sharma were at a press conference. Mr Morrison said, “Yesterday, Liberal voters expressed their anger at the parliamentary Liberal Party. There is no doubt about that and we copped that fairly on the chin.”

Dr Phelps released a tweet saying: “Holding our breath for the AEC count. This is a white knuckle ride. Whatever the outcome, I am enormously proud of the work of my volunteers and campaign team.”

Because Phelps won, Australia now has a hung parliament, meaning there are not enough people in any party to reach a majority on any decision. The postal votes are being counted on 23 October, but so far, Professor Kerryn Phelps is in the lead by 3.2 percent!

This Monday, the former PM, Malcolm Turnbull, returned from his eight-week exile to the Big Apple. That’s right, he went to New York. And he’s not the first former PM to ‘escape’ to America. Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd are also there, according to the Herald Sun. Rudd has been there for the past five years!

I (Noa) wrote an email to Phelps’s office, and she replied. I asked her for some of her opinions on the campaigns and the victory, as well as a message for the school community. Here is some of her reply:

“It is very important to have young people like you involved and interested in politics and the future of Australia. As a candidate I spoke to lots of young people who live in the Eastern suburbs about the problems they face and ideas they have to improve our community and our country. These include issues like climate change and discrimination in schools. I think the Government should do everything it can to protect the environment. I also think that all children and teachers should be able to feel safe and valued in their schools. If I am elected as the Member for Wentworth. I look forward to visiting you and your classmates to say hello and hear about your achievements and ideas for the future.”

So, what do you think? Do you think that this particular change is good? That’s up to you to decide for yourself. Make sure to read next week, for another exciting story.

Person of the week

Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games, in which injured war veterans from over 18 countries compete against each other. He also went to fight in Afghanistan secretly. However, there was a media leak and the Prince had to go back to England. Get excited for a whole report on the Invictus Games in Week 4!

Book of the week

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls is 100 stories about inspirational women who changed the world. Both children and adults like it.