Howard Ong, a former activist for the Australian Christian Lobby, is tipped to be the Liberal party’s replacement candidate for the battleground seat of Tangney at the next federal election.
Party members had originally selected reality TV star and former SAS member Mark Wales as their candidate. Wales used his pre-selection speech to speak out against transgender rights.
But just weeks after being picked as the clear favourite by party members Wales announced he’d be stepping down due to the ill health of a close family member.
Party officials have now ruled that the position will be filled by the candidate who had the next highest level of votes in the preselection process, unless a fresh candidate puts their hand up for the seat.
Howard Ong reportedly scored less than 50 votes at the preselection plebiscite, with the large majority of votes going to Wales, but he fared better than the other candidates in the crowded field.
Ong migrated to Australia from Singapore almost thirty years ago and in a campaign video he says he believes strong and healthy families are the foundation of a cohesive society.
The Liberal stronghold was lost to Labor’s Sam Lim at the 2022 election, and it’s seen as one of the seats the party has a good chance of regaining at the next election. Lim only has a margin of 2.4%, the narrowest of any seat held by the Albanese government.
Ong will have to wait a few days to find out if he’s locked in as the candidate. None of the contenders he defeated at the preselection competition are eligible to re-nominate, but a fresh contender would force another vote from party members.
