The former head of the AMA and prominent same-sex marriage advocate says voters are sick of ‘revolving door of leadership’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The high-profile Sydney doctor Kerryn Phelps has urged voters to put the Liberal party last after confirming she will run as an independent for Malcolm Turnbull’s former seat of Wentworth in a move that could tighten the byelection contest.

But the Sydney City councillor and former Australian Medical Association president says if elected in the 20 October byelection, she won’t be a destabilising presence and has guaranteed she would not block government supply.

The Liberal party has never lost the seat, which is located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Wentworth: progressives will make Liberal safe seat a tricky test for Morrison Read more

Phelps said she had a steep hill to climb given the government holds the seat with a 17% margin but said there was a strong following for the former prime minister, who was ousted from the job in late August.

“The people here are frustrated, angry and in despair about what happened to Malcolm Turnbull,” the local doctor told reporters on Sunday. “They don’t want to see continue this revolving door of leadership.”

Phelps said voters knew Turnbull supported action on climate change, marriage equality and making Australia a republic but the hard right of his party had restricted his ability to speak out on those issues.

She said it was time to bring back some integrity, stability and common sense to the federal parliament.

“It is supposed to be a house of representatives and it hasn’t been a representative voice of the Australian people for too long,” she said.

The independent said she was yet to organise any preferences deals but said voters should put her first and the Liberal party last.

“It’s really important you send that message that they know that Canberra needs to be a voice for the people,” she said.

Phelps said her time as a doctor, health communicator and advocate – and as one of the leaders in the marriage equality campaign – gave her the skills to sit in the federal parliament.

Liberals and Labor neck and neck in byelection race for Turnbull's seat – poll Read more

She said her campaign for Wentworth would be a grassroots campaign by and for the people of Wentworth, much like the YES campaign for same-sex marriage.

The former Australian ambassador to Israel David Sharma has been preselected by the Liberal party to contest the Wentworth byelection, despite Morrison saying he wanted a female candidate.

Labor’s Tim Murray and the independent investment manager Licia Heath are among 11 people who have announced their candidacy for the poll.