FORMER federal Labor MP Belinda Neal has confirmed she has thrown her hat in the ring for the race to win back her old seat of Robertson at next year’s election.

“I will do my best and I believe I have a good chance of being the candidate come the election next year,” Ms Neal said

“We need someone who will stand up and fight.”

The preselection battle will be between Ms Neal and Anne Charlton, the chief of staff for NSW Labor Senator Deb O’Neill.

Preselection nominations opened last week and will close this Friday with a ballot on December 12.

Robertson is presently held by Liberal MP Lucy Wicks and the next Federal Election is expected to be held in October.

Ms Neal was part of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Labor landslide victory in 2007 taking the seat from the Liberals’ Jim Lloyd, a senior minister in the Howard Government at the time.

Her three years as an MP were often controversial and included claims she ­had intimidated staff at Iguana’s restaurant at Gosford — accusations she has always ­denied.

She lost preselection for the seat in 2010 to Ms O’Neill.

Last November Ms Neal again attempted to resurrect her political career by nominating for preselection in the state seat of Gosford, losing the battle to now incumbent Kathy Smith.

Ms Neal said she had made the decision to nominate ­because of her experience and knowledge of the Central Coast.

“I am the only Labor person who has won the seat back from a Liberal since the seat was created,” she said.

“This (preselection) is a process where members of the branches will decide who the best candidate is.

Ms Charlton, who has worked for Senator O’Neill since 2012, said she was a “fresh face” for the party.

Married to a doctor with six children between them, Ms Charlton’s background includes eight years with Central Coast Family Support Services at Kariong.

“Working in a political office is useful and good, but it’s all about my work with Central Coast Family Support Services where I worked with Grandparents Raising Grandchildren,” Ms Charlton said.

“I worked with 150 families with 460 kids who had been affected by catastrophic disasters, that’s who I spent my time with.

“I saw the most incredible poverty and vulnerability.”

Nominations for Dobell preselection will open early next year.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/former-robertson-mp-bel...

Is this the same Belinda "Jean Claude Van Damme" Neal?

The same Belinda "do you know who I am" Neal that we all heard about?

Bet she wins. The general community of voters don't vote on standards.

bogarde73 wrote on Nov 10^th, 2015 at 2:17pm:


If they did, Labor would be a shoo-in, every time.

But I tend to agree re Neal.

i liked Mr Dellabosca.  he was a smart cookie .
bad choice of wife though