The Liberal party has named the candidates who will contest the seats of Cunningham and Whitlam at the July federal election.
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Wollongong City Councillor Michelle Blicavs will run against Labor’s Sharon Bird in the Cunningham electorate.
In the newly named Whitlam electorate – formerly Throsby – Dr Carolyn Currie will face off against Labor incumbent Stephen Jones.
Cr Blicavs wasn’t concerned about the uphill battle she faces to unseat Ms Bird, who has held the seat since 2004 and now has an 11.3 per cent margin.
“What I look at is the 40 per cent of people who regularly vote Liberal,” Cr Blicavs said.
“They are the ones who do not have their voices heard, and then you’ve got that 11 per cent in the middle that can fluctuate either way.
“I think the demographic across Cunningham is changing. I think more people, like me, have moved from Sydney to the area.”
Cr Blicavs said innovation and small business were key areas she wanted to focus on.
“There’s opportunities for Port Kembla with the second Sydney airport coming online – we need to be planning around that now,” she said.
“We need a voice in government to be making sure that Wollongong and the broader Cunningham area is a part of what we can deliver for the future of this country.”
Dr Currie is a businesswoman with 40 years experience in the banking and financial planning sectors.
Her candidacy in Whitlam is her first political tilt since a 2007 run for the Senate.
“My home base is up in the highlands,” Dr Currie said.
“While I have work commitments in Sydney, if I’m elected them I’ll obviously be full-time in the area.”
Dr Currie will be targeting small business and youth unemployment in the Illawarra.
“We need to get our youth employment rate up,” Dr Currie said.
“We need jobs for our youth, they’re our future and we don’t want to have future welfare dependents. And youth unemployment goes hand in hand with other issues like alcohol abuse and suicide so I see that as a big issue.”