By-election to replace ScoMo underway

Scott Morrison’s successor successful Cook is expected to beryllium the Liberal campaigner Simon Kennedy, but helium won’t beryllium capable to ballot for himself.

Mr Kennedy, a erstwhile enforcement with consultancy steadfast McKinsey, has lone conscionable moved into the electorate successful Sydney’s southbound and stood successful the spot of Bennelong, connected the different broadside of the city, successful 2022.

But that is not expected to alteration the outcome.

Cook is 1 of the safest Liberal seats successful the country.

Mr Morrison retained the Sutherland Shire electorate with a 12.4 per cent borderline successful 2022 – though down from 19 per cent successful 2019 – aft helium picked up astir 2 thirds of the two-party preferred vote.

Mr Kennedy isn’t facing overmuch of a combat aft the Labor Party decided not to basal a campaigner successful Saturday’s by-election.

Low elector turnout could beryllium due to the fact that immoderate locals are unhappy with the Liberal Party’s enactment of Mr Kennedy, who did not unrecorded successful the electorate erstwhile helium bushed retired the section politician and a fashionable advocator successful preselection.

Pollster Kos Samaras said elector disenchantment and Labor’s determination not to tally a campaigner could make a “perfect storm” for the enactment to really suffer immoderate of their margin.

Five different candidates are connected the ballot, including the Greens campaigner Martin Moore who is tipped to tally second.

Voter apathy for the by-election is concerning the Australian Electoral Commission.

Voter turnout for by-elections is traditionally little than a afloat national election, but the AEC said they were acrophobic by however fewer radical had voted aboriginal successful Cook and had enactment retired “more connection for a azygous by-election than we’ve ever done”.

Polls unfastened astatine 8am and adjacent astatine 6pm erstwhile counting volition start.

More to come