Former State Mulgoa MP Diane Beamer is set to make a political comeback with Labor on the verge of confirming she will be their candidate for Lindsay at the next election.
Both the ABC and Fairfax Media are tonight reporting that Labor have settled on Ms Beamer, an Emu Plains local.
There is yet to be a preselection process but it appears Ms Beamer’s appointment as Labor’s candidate is now a formality.
Just yesterday current Lindsay MP Emma Husar declared her desire to stay on and fight the election for Labor, despite announcing earlier this year that she would not contest the election in the wake of allegations levelled against her and the subsequent media coverage of those allegations.
A NSW Labor Party investigation cleared Ms Husar of the most serious allegations against her and said her resignation was not warranted.
What is now unclear is if whether Ms Husar will still run in the election as an independent candidate. If she does, she could split the Labor vote.
Lindsay is held by a slim margin of just 1.1 per cent.
Ms Beamer is well known in the electorate but has been out of the spotlight since she opted not to contest the 2011 State Election against Tanya Davies in Mulgoa. Mrs Davis subsequently won the seat from Labor.
Ms Beamer, a former Penrith Mayor, was among a group of Labor MPs who saw the writing on the wall and quit before the fall of the State Labor government in 2011.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.