By Parker McKenzie
The field of candidates to replace Alan Tudge has narrowed, with four candidates nominating for Liberal Party preselection for the Aston by-election.
Mr Tudge officially gave his letter of resignation to Speaker of the House of Representatives Milton Dick on Friday 17 February after nearly 13 years in parliament, and the speaker will “now consider possible dates for the by-election.”
After nominations closed for the Liberal Pre-selection on Thursday 16 February, Oncologist Ranjana Srivastava OAM, Deputy school Principal Emanuele Cicchiello, Melbourne City Councillor Roshena Campbell and former Upper House MP Cathrine Burnett-Wake all put their names forward to run against the newly announced Labor candidate Mary Doyle.
After announcing her submission for nomination in an online statement on Monday 13 February, Ms Burnett-Wake spruiked her local credentials.
“The Eastern Victoria Region, which I represented in the State Legislative Council, overlaps Aston,” she said.
“My children are at a local school in Wantirna South and have been for the past 11 years, and they play sports in the community. My Business services clients throughout Aston, and it’s where my family shops.”
Mr Cicchiello was previously Knox City Mayor and has been a Liberal Party candidate at two federal elections and one state election. In a bizarre turn of events, Mr Cichiello withdrew from pre-selection for the vacated Victorian upper house Eastern metropolitan seat in 2020 because he discovered he was ineligible after pleading guilty to improperly claiming a concession transport fare over 25 years ago.
Aside from her work in healthcare, Ms Srivastava is a regular contributor to The Guardian and ABC.
Ms Campbell is a barrister and has been a councillor for Melbourne City since November 2020.
Both Ms Srivastava and Ms Campbell previously unsuccessfully ran for pre-selection in Casey following Tony Smith’s retirement ahead of the 2022 federal election.
Mr Cicchiello, Ms Campbell and Ms Svrivatava have not publically commented on their nomination for the by-election.
The candidates will make their case to the local Aston Liberal Party members before a pre-selection contest tentatively set for Saturday 4 March.
The Aston electorate covers Bayswater, Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield, Rowville, Scoresby, The Basin, Wantirna and Wantirna South, and parts of Lysterfield, Sassafras and Upper Ferntree Gully.
