Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian makes rare campaign appearance supporting Bradfield frontrunner Gisele Kapterian

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has made a rare political appearance, lending her support to tech executive Gisele Kapterian in her preselection battle against high-profile anti-Voice campaigner Warren Mundine. Ms Kapterian, a strategy lead at Salesforce and former Liberal staffer to Michaelia Cash and Julie Bishop, is tipped to be the frontrunner to win the three-person race to campaign for the blue-ribbon seat of Bradfield at this year’s federal election. The vacancy follows the retirement of long-serving MP and former minister Paul Fletcher. Ms Berejiklian was seen alongside other party luminaries including former federal treasurer Joe Hockey, former NSW premiers Barry O’Farrell and Nick Greiner, and former federal MPs Bruce Baird and Trent Zimmerman. Ms Berejiklian, Mr Hockey and Mr Greiner all spoke at the well-attended Sunday afternoon drinks at Lindfield’s Olea Bistro in Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Since retiring from politics following an ICAC probe into her relationship with disgraced ex NSW MP Daryl Maguire in 2022, Ms Berejiklian has largely removed herself from the political domain. Now a now a senior executive at Optus, her last appearance on the campaign trail was during the 2023 NSW state election in support of then-Penrith MP Stuart Ayres, who failed to retain his seat. Notably, Ms Berejiklian did not attend any Liberal campaign events and was not seen alongside then premier Dominic Perrottet, who lost to Chris Minns. One local Liberal member said the former premier’s appearance at the event was very significant. “That is a first because she no longer goes (to party events) and has kept a very low-profile. We all still love Gladys,” they said. NSW Liberals say Mr Mundine’s star power will not be enough to win him preselection, with sources believing Ms Kapterian would win more than 50 per cent of the ballot in the first round of voting. Notably, Bradfield was one of the 11 federal NSW electorates which voted in favour of the Voice referendum, out of a total 47. “I’d be surprised if she doesn’t win it honestly,” said one senior Liberal figure. “She’s very impressive, and she’s learnt a lot after losing preselection to Simon Kennedy (now the MP for Cook) in Bennelong (in 2022).” One local Liberal member said Mr Mundine’s former role as the Labor National President would likely be held against him, despite him quitting the ALP in 2012. “People are suspicious of people who switch parties, and he wasn’t just a backroom dealer, he was the National President,” they said. Another insider said Ms Kapterian was the best-placed candidate to fend off a Teal challenge from clean energy expert Nicolette Boelle, who in 2022 managed a 12.3 per cent swing against the Liberals in prized seat. Retaining Bradfield will be crucial to the Coalition’s attempt to return to parliament, with Coalition on an uphill battle to hold their current 55, and win an additional 21 to secure a majority government. “There are preselectors from the right and conservative side of the Liberal Party who will be voting for Gisele because they truly see her as the best candidate to retain Bradfield,” they said. The Liberal Bradfield candidate will be decided this Saturday, with highly regarded cardiologist Michael Feneley also making a run for the seat. While Prof Feneley has been described as “very impressive,” it’s believed he doesn’t have the factional support to win the ballot. Although Mr Mundine was contacted for comment, Liberal Party rules state candidates cannot publicly speaking about the preselection process. A Liberal source supporting Mr Mundine, however said the Bradfield hopeful also held an event on Sunday afternoon which was attended by about 220 people, including former prime minister Tony Abbott. They noted Mr Mundine had more people attend his event than Ms Kapterian, and labelled him as the “people’s candidate. “If you’re comparing a teal and a teal-like person, there’s not much of a choice for the electorate to elect,” he said.