Published • loading... • Updated
Victorian Liberals Replace Croydon Candidate Grant Hutchinson With Toby Wooldridge
Party chiefs cited litigation risks and possible disclosure of sensitive correspondence as they swapped candidates less than seven weeks before the state election.
- The Victorian Liberal Party disendorsed Croydon candidate Grant Hutchinson on Monday night, citing concerns over his ongoing legal dispute with former law firm partners despite the lawsuit being public knowledge since last year.
- Party executives feared that a discovery obligation in Hutchinson's civil lawsuit would force disclosure of sensitive Liberal Party correspondence with his former legal partners, risking confidential material becoming public during the campaign.
- Toby Wooldridge, son of former Howard government health minister Michael Wooldridge, was selected to contest Croydon, a marginal seat the party holds by a 1.4 per cent margin with retiring MP David Hodgett.
- Opposition leader Jess Wilson defended the decision on Tuesday, stating, "It's no longer appropriate for him to be a candidate," after new information about Hutchinson's legal dispute came to light.
- The disendorsement follows the party's July move to remove upper house MP Moira Deeming as a candidate, whose defamation case similarly risked disclosure of sensitive party correspondence during the campaign.
Insights by Ground AI
6 Articles
6 Articles
Liberal candidate for marginal seat dumped weeks out from election
Opposition leader Jess Wilson says the party replaced Grant Hutchinson, its candidate for the east Melbourne seat of Croydon, after new information emerged about civil legal action he is involved in.
·Ultimo, Australia
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources6
Leaning Left4Leaning Right1Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
67% Left
L 67%
C 17%
R 16%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
