LIB 30.5%
Incumbent MP
Brad Hazzard, since 1991.
Geography
Northern beaches of Sydney. Wakehurst covers parts of Warringah local government area, including the suburbs of Collaroy, Cromer, Dee Why, Beacon Hill, Frenchs Forest, Allambie Heights, Killarney Heights and Forestville.
Redistribution
Minor changes were made to Wakehurst’s border with Manly, which had no impact on the seat’s margin.
History
Wakehurst has existed since 1962. It has been won by the Liberal Party at all but two elections over the last half-century.
The seat was first won in 1962 by Dick Healey of the Liberal Party. He moved to the new seat of Davidson in 1971. He served as a minister in the Coalition state government from 1973 to 1976, and retired in 1981.
Wakehurst was won in 1971 by Allan Viney. He held the seat until his defeat in 1978 by the ALP’s Tom Webster. The 1978 election was a landslide for the ALP under Neville Wran, and Wakehurst was one of a number of traditional Liberal seats to fall to Labor.
Webster was re-elected at the 1981 election but was defeated in 1984 by Liberal candidate John Booth. Booth held the seat until 1991, when he lost preselection to Brad Hazzard.
Hazzard has held Wakehurst since 1991. He joined the Coalition frontbench after the 1995 election, and served in a variety of portfolios while the Coalition was in opposition.
After the Coalition won power in 2011, Hazzard became Minister for Planning and Infrastructure. He shifted to serve as Attorney-General after Mike Baird became Premier in 2014.
Candidates
- Robert Di Cosmo (No Land Tax)
- Silvana Nero (Christian Democratic Party)
- Brad Hazzard (Liberal)
- Ned Barsi (Labor)
- Conny Harris (Independent)
- Jonathan King (Greens)
Assessment
Wakehurst is a very safe Liberal seat.
2011 election result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
| Brad Hazzard | Liberal | 31,634 | 69.4 | +12.5 |
| Conny Harris | Greens | 6,717 | 14.7 | +2.1 |
| Linda Beattie | Labor | 5,930 | 13.0 | -10.9 |
| Peter Colsell | Christian Democrats | 1,271 | 2.8 | +2.8 |
2011 two-candidate-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| Brad Hazzard | Liberal | 32,811 | 78.5 |
| Conny Harris | Greens | 8,969 | 21.5 |
2011 two-party-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Swing |
| Brad Hazzard | Liberal | 33,210 | 80.5 | +13.3 |
| Linda Beattie | Labor | 8,021 | 19.5 | -13.3 |
Booth breakdown
Booths in Wakehurst have been split into three parts based around key suburbs: Collaroy in the north-east, Dee Why in the east and Frenchs Forest in the west.
The Liberal Party won a large majority of the primary vote in all three areas, ranging from 66% in Dee Why to 71% in Collaroy.
The Greens came second in all three areas, ranging from 13.8% in Collaroy to 15.6% in Dee Why. Labor were just behind the Greens, with their vote ranging from 12.2% in Collaroy to 15.3% in Dee Why.
| Voter group | LIB % | GRN % | ALP % | Total | % of votes |
| Dee Why | 66.2 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 16,729 | 35.3 |
| Frenchs Forest | 70.0 | 15.2 | 12.3 | 10,320 | 21.8 |
| Collaroy | 71.4 | 13.8 | 12.2 | 10,058 | 21.2 |
| Other votes | 70.0 | 15.2 | 12.3 | 10,320 | 21.8 |
My prediction: Easy Liberal return, with Labor resuming 2nd place.
Former Warringah councillor and 2011 Greens candidate Conny Harris has nominated here as an independent. She provides a website voteconnyharris.com.au – but it’s currently blank.
Story of the rise of the 1% on the north shore here this used to be relatively Labor friendly with cheaper housing rather like parts of Manly. Labor managed 43% 2PP even in 1988 but from then on swung steadily to Libs.
Doesn’t get much bluer than this.
With Conny Harris running as an independent, The Greens vote will split and put the ALP back into 2nd place.
Robert Di Cosmo running for Wakehurst despite living in Five Dock….