FRESH from a leadership skirmish, Canberra Liberals leader Alistair Coe has rolled out his party’s preselected candidates for next year’s October poll. 

Characterising them as a “modern, diverse and representative team”, he said the party was excited at the calibre of its candidates, who came from a variety of personal, professional and cultural backgrounds.

“We are a team of working mums and dads, small business owners, entrepreneurs, public servants, teachers, musicians and hairdressers, many of whom were born overseas.

“Our team is the reflection of modern Canberra: diverse and representative.”

Here are the new Liberal candidates over and above the already preselected sitting Assembly members:

JOINING ALISTAIR COE AND JAMES MILLIGAN IN YERRABI:

LEANNE CASTLEY 

Leanne Castley is currently an IT Project Manager and performs with her band around Canberra. Leanne has lived in and around the Yerrabi electorate since she was five years old and watched Gungahlin grow from paddocks to the town centre it is. 

KRISHNA NADIMPALLI 

Dr Krishna Nadimpalli is an environmental scientist and has been in public service for the last 30 years. He recently received a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Krishna has been in Canberra for the last 19 years.

JACOB VADAKKEDATHU 

Jacob Vadakkedathu arrived in Canberra in 1998 to do his masters degree in Business Administration. He has lived in Canberra since. He worked at the Commonwealth Department of Finance as a senior budget analyst and policy adviser from 2006 to April 2019 and is currently working at a private consulting firm as an associate director. Jacob was the inaugural president of the Federation of Indian Associations in ACT. Jacob has lived in the Nicholls since 2006 with his wife Beenu and two children.  

JOINING NICOLE LAWDER, MARK PARTON AND ANDREW WALL IN BRINDABELLA 

JANE HIATT 

Jane Hiatt is a small business owner, mother of four, linguist, naval servicewoman, educator and ultra-marathon runner. She moved with her husband to Canberra after leaving full-time service in the Navy to raise their family in 1993. They started a family business in the dental industry. Jane’s passion for education saw her start her own successful tuition business in 2002 in the Tuggeranong region. 

JAMES DANIELS 

Having seen different parts of Australia and the world as the son of a Defence family, James Daniels has lived in Tuggeranong since 1990. James has worked in the Canberra region as an accountant in public practice for the last 19 years. 

JOINING ELIZABETH KIKKERT IN GINNINDERRA 

KACEY LAM 

Kacey Lam is a former government ministerial adviser, with a background in small and family business. She commenced her career in the public service as an ANU graduate. 

PETER CAIN 

After starting his working life at the Newcastle BHP steelworks, Peter had a long career as a teacher and principal before becoming a lawyer. He is a vice president of the Law Society. He currently manages the tax disputes section at ACT Revenue Management. Peter and his wife have raised seven children in their own home in Evatt, where they have lived for more 20 years. 

ROBERT GUNNING 

Robert Gunning is semi-retired and runs his own business in Belconnen where he has lived for more than 40 years. His family grew up in Belconnen and went to local public schools. Robert is a former executive director of national associations and a former senior executive in the Australian Public Service mainly working in the departments of Transport and Finance. 

IGNATIUS ROZARIO 

Ignatius Rozario is a senior accountant who has lived in Belconnen since 2002. Ignatius is a member of the Community Advisory Council for Calvary Hospital, and is also involved in multicultural communities. He is married and a father of two. 

JOINING CANDICE BURCH AND ELIZABETH LEE IN KURRAJONG 

PATRICK PENTONY 

Patrick Pentony is a third generation Canberran with his family moving to the Kurrajong electorate in the 1950s. After graduating university, Patrick’s first job was as a real estate sales agent before starting businesses such as The Southside Farmers Markets and Choku Bai Jo. 

VIJAY DUBEY 

Vijay started his career as a teacher but shifted to the Australian Bureau of Statistics and joined the public service in 2010. He has returned to relief teaching within the Canberra region while running his own small businesses. Vijay and his wife Maryada have two daughters. 

ROBERT JOHNSON 

Robert Johnson is a Canberran of 15 years and was an Army Reservist for three years. He currently works in business and international trade. Robert is dedicated to serving his local community, volunteering for several organisations such as St John Ambulance Australia (ACT) and taking on leadership roles in Canberra’s multicultural community, including heading the Australia-China Youth Co-operation. 

JOINING GIUILA JONES AND JEREMY HANSON IN MURRUMBIDGEE 

ED COCKS 

Ed Cocks was born in Canberra’s South. He studied there, met his wife and was married there, and now he’s raising his own children there. Ed has previously worked as a courier, a help-desk worker, a music producer and has been a member of the APS for 20 years, where he has worked with researchers, health practitioners and economists.

SARAH SUINE 

Sarah Suine is a 33-year-old wife and mum to two boys age 8 and 6 and is active in her community through her boys’ school and sports clubs and also her own exercise groups. Sarah’s first job out of school was a hairdressing apprenticeship, which she completed in 2009. She has since worked in the Public Service, run her own hairdressing business, been a stay-at-home mum and worked at the Legislative Assembly. 

AMARDEEP SINGH 

Amardeep Singh started his career as a 20-year-old trainee engineer and is now working as a solutions consultant for a multinational corporation. Apart from spending time engaging with the diverse Canberra community, Amardeep loves being with his family as a father, son, husband and brother.