Politics · Australia · 1 hr ago
Victorian Liberals replace Croydon candidate over legal dispute
The Victorian Liberal Party has replaced Grant Hutchinson as its Croydon candidate less than seven weeks before the November 28 election.
Party leader Jess Wilson said further details had emerged about Hutchinson’s ongoing personal legal dispute and it was no longer appropriate for him to run.
Hutchinson’s dispute with former partners at his law firm is before the Supreme Court, with a hearing scheduled for November 16.
Party sources said they feared the case could require him to share Liberal Party correspondence with his former partners, potentially exposing internal party information.
Toby Wooldridge has been selected to contest the seat instead; he is an urban planning and demographics consultant and the son of former federal health minister Michael Wooldridge.
Croydon is held by retiring Liberal MP David Hodgett on a 1.4 per cent margin, making it a closely contested seat.
The party is making the change as it prepares for a close election, in which the Coalition needs to gain 16 seats to win a majority in Victoria’s 88-seat parliament.
The Victorian Liberal Party has replaced Grant Hutchinson as its candidate for the marginal seat of Croydon.
The party’s state executive selected Toby Wooldridge after concerns about Hutchinson’s ongoing legal dispute with former partners at his law firm.
The dispute is before the Supreme Court, and a directions hearing is scheduled for November 16.
Liberal sources said the party was concerned that the court case could expose internal party correspondence.
Croydon is held by retiring Liberal MP David Hodgett on a 1.4 per cent margin, with the state election set for November 28.
- Who
- The Victorian Liberal Party replaced Grant Hutchinson with Toby Wooldridge as its Croydon candidate.
- What
- Hutchinson was disendorsed amid concerns linked to his ongoing legal dispute with former law firm partners.
- When
- The state executive agreed to the change on Monday night, less than seven weeks before the November 28 election.
- Where
- Croydon, in outer eastern Melbourne, Victoria.
- Why
- The party said further details had come to light about Hutchinson’s personal litigation. Liberal sources said the party feared its correspondence could be exposed in the case.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Guardian reported that Hutchinson’s former partners accused him of bullying and using the firm’s resources to further his political career.
The Victorian Liberal Party disendorsed upper house MP Moira Deeming, whose defamation case against the party leader led to disclosure of party correspondence.
The state executive agreed to disendorse Hutchinson and select Wooldridge as the Croydon candidate.
A directions hearing is scheduled in the dispute between Hutchinson and his former law firm partners.
The Victorian election is scheduled to take place.
- Former candidate
- Grant Hutchinson
- Replacement candidate
- Toby Wooldridge
- Seat
- Croydon, outer eastern Melbourne
- Sitting MP
- David Hodgett, retiring, with a 1.4 per cent margin
- Court hearing
- November 16
- Election day
- November 28
What people are saying
It’s no longer appropriate for him to continue as a candidate.
We cannot have a candidate who’s constantly legally compelled to provide party materials to his very aggrieved former partners.
Toby comes in as a clean skin, he is widely well regarded and very capable. He will definitely be a minister.
He is old and he was never going to be a minister and Croydon is one of the few seats we hold through the cycle. It is a Liberal seat. You don’t put a seat-warmer in it.
Sources
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