He made no commitments and was tight-lipped about his priority projects, but the Liberal Party’s contender for the state seat of Wollongong has vowed to give the city’s residents stronger representation in Parliament.
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As revealed by the Mercury last month, Zachary Fitzpatrick will vie for the title of Member for Wollongong when the electorate’s 60,787 enrolled voters go to the polls on March 23.
The 28-year-old’s candidacy was launched by the Illawarra’s parliamentary secretary Gareth Ward on Tuesday – just 46 days from polling day.
Mr Fitzpatrick, who grew up in Ballina but has lived in the Illawarra for five years, is no stranger to politics.
He has worked for government ministers and ran, as part of a Liberal Party ticket, for a spot on Shellharbour City Council at the 2017 election.
“I believe we should have a stronger representation in our local community, for causes like the Unanderra lifts, for causes like the [Wollongong] hospital,” he said.
“We [Liberals] have balanced the budget and we’ve ensured we’ve paid down the debt, and this is going to allow us to have the money to invest in infrastructure, schools, hospitals and the local services which we need.”
However, Mr Fitzpatrick was short on specific commitments or priority projects.
“My commitment is to be a stronger representative,” he said. “We’ve seen Labor make commitments ... we saw them make commitments to the Unanderra train station in 2009 and they failed to deliver. I want to the part of a government that is focussing on delivery.”
Incumbent Wollongong MP, Labor’s Paul Scully, has $25 million on the table to build the Unanderra lifts.
Mr Fitzpatrick stopped short of matching Labor’s cash but said: “I intend to fight for it.”
Mr Scully has set his challenger three tests: funding and building the lifts; matching Labor’s Wollongong Entertainment Centre upgrade commitment; and committing to a consistent definition of Wollongong for government funding.
“The people of Wollongong know what I stand for,” Mr Scully said.
Mr Fitzpatrick said he was willing to advocate for the entertainment centre upgrade and said the city’s definition was “a matter to be taken up with the government”.
The contender also hit back at critics over the fact he was not originally from Wollongong.
“I don’t think you need to have lived here for a lifetime to know that Labor hasn’t done anything for this community,” he said.
The Liberals’ candidates for the Labor-held seats of Keira and Shellharbour are expected to be announced within the next fortnight.
Andrew Pearson
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
Andrew grew up in the western Riverina town of Hay and has strong ties to the region. He is a former DA journo who has a passion for breaking news and has covered everything from council and politics to crime and court.
