Party rule change elevates Natalie Ward
Manly’s Natalie Ward has been elected deputy parliamentary Liberal leader in New South Wales, following a change to party rules.
Ms Ward has been a member of the NSW Upper House since 2017, but was barred from running for deputy because of Liberal Party rules.
The downsized party room voted to change the rules on 8 May to enable Ms Ward to become deputy leader.
“I’m absolutely humbled and honoured to have been elected,” Ms Ward told Peninsula Living. “It’s demonstrating that we are reflecting the expectations of the community that they have of the Liberal Party, and I’m grateful to be part of that change.
“I’m really excited to play a key role in our leadership team as we hold Labor to account and make sure that the people of New South Wales get the help they need. We know that families (on the Northern Beaches) are dealing with pressing issues like cost of living and housing affordability.”
The mother of two has been living on the Beaches since 2000, and attempted to win preselection for the seat of Davidson before the recent State Election, but was not successful. It is believed that North Shore MP Felicity Wilson had also put her hand up for the deputy spot.
Given the reduced size of the Liberal party room, Ms Ward has also picked up shadow minister portfolios of transport and roads, and infrastructure. “Having raised my kids on the Northern Beaches, I know all too well the challenges of transport and getting children around and to sport on a Saturday.
“Labor has made a lot of bold promises, and I think we need to really hold them to account on the infrastructure,” Ms Ward said.
Ms Ward said she remained a strong supporter of the link controversial Beaches Link project, promised by the Liberals in their previous term. Labor said it would be scrapped if elected and so far has remained quiet on whether it will be developed as stage three of the Western Harbour tunnel project.
“Taking traffic off those main roads also returns those local roads to local communities,” Ms Ward said. “It improves air quality and means that small businesses can have local traffic returned.”
Ms Ward has also been appointed deputy Liberal leader in the upper house and is in the middle of her eight-year term.