Suddenly disendorsed by the Canberra Liberals, two-term member for Ginninderra Elizabeth Kikkert has hooked up with Family First and hit the streets in a challenging bid to shake off the slurs and get herself a seat at the October 19 election. She talks to  IAN MEIKLE.

The tears come in a blink, and keep coming. The trigger was the question as to how MLA Elizabeth Kikkert’s five children were handling her sudden, brutal expulsion from the Canberra Liberals a heartbeat short of the next election. 

How a party seeking the confidence of the community to govern, heading to the October 19 poll with only nine seats and thinks eight is a better starting point to reach 13 may be the moment Elizabeth Lee lost the election before a vote was cast.

But that’s what happened when Lee, facing her first election as leader, and the party’s management committee and the parliamentary party decisively disendorsed and removed Kikkert in early September. That’s quite a single-minded crowd.

But why? Lee sank the slipper reputationally hard with fuzzy accusations of two-term Kikkert breaching the Electoral Act 1992 around disclosure of donations and electoral expenditure and having exposed the party to potential workplace claims.

Emeritus Prof John Warhurst, political scientist at the ANU, thinks that beyond Kikkert’s discomfort, the Liberal decision may have some blowback on the party by perpetuating the impression of disunity that started in December when Jeremy Hanson (number one Liberal vote getter in Murrumbidgee) and Kikkert (number one Liberal vote getter in Ginninderra) were incredibly relegated to the back bench. 

This is the shadow looming over the news that Kikkert will seek re-election in Ginninderra, this time as the leading candidate for Family First Party, a national Christian conservative party that’s standing candidates for the first time in the ACT. 

Kikkert, a devoted Mormon, has but a month to the election, a Herculean task. She says she’s “very optimistic”, she’s up for it. 

Not running was not an option

“When I first learned that I was disendorsed I felt a sense of peace, but injustice at the same time. It was very clear to me that not running in the upcoming election is not an option. So I knew I was going to run, I just didn’t know who with,” she says.

First she rubbed tummies with the Belco Party. 

“I love the Belco Party, they’re wonderful people and I’ve always had a good relationship with them over the last couple of years and that was my first instinct to contact Belco and see how it feels,” she says. 

Leader, Ginninderra candidate and former Liberal warhorse, Bill Stefaniak turned her down. 

“And that’s fine, I feel the same way, too,” she says. “If he had asked me after I’d met him I’d probably have said no because after meeting Bill it was clear to me that this wasn’t my pathway.”

Enter Family First, a choice piqued by her tears during the interview.

“It has been an extremely rough time for me and my kids as well because my kids found out from their friends who’d sent them the link with the articles and so they have been… [tears]. It’s been painful for them to see their mum painted in this very dishonest way.

“My kids have been my strength the whole time.”

Her world is her family. She fell into politics when, as a stay-at-home mum, she started a successful petition about a dangerous intersection near her home, which inspired the Libs to chase (and chase) her to run for the 2016 election.

“I received a strong sense to run for Ginninderra, but I wasn’t sure what party to choose and because I wasn’t associated with any political party I wasn’t associated with any politicians. At the time, I didn’t know who my chief minister was,” she candidly admits. 

“Seriously, I lived in a world where my life just consisted of five small children.

“I chose the Liberal Party because Guilia Jones approached me about it. 

“I did not expect to be elected, but I worked my butt off because I knew that this was the right thing to do. I didn’t even look at the TV at the results that night. I didn’t find out until a friend told me the next day. I wanted to not look at the results because I wanted some family time.”

Now it’s time for more butt working to return to the Assembly; can she do it?

“I do have amazing people who are there to help me and I do have a pretty good idea on how to campaign grassroots wise – door knocking and being at the shops.”

So what’s the appeal of Family First?

“When I learnt about Family First, I just loved that name because that’s who I am. I always put my family first,” she says.

“Putting the family first as a number one priority when you’re coming up with policies, with laws to implement. 

“It was easy for me to join the party because of their values.”

Family First would have asked questions about her disendorsement, what did she tell them? 

“I answered that I strongly disagree with the allegations that the Liberal Party have made and that I am currently seeking legal advice,” she says.

“They understood where I was coming from and I think because they know how politics work, they probably felt that this was just a political game.”

The reputational shadow

But back to the reputational shadow. Here’s how Kikkert responded to direct questions about the Liberal accusations.

Firstly: “This decision was not taken lightly, but reflects the seriousness with which the Liberal Party takes compliance with obligations of candidates and MLAs under the Electoral Act 1992, including but not limited to disclosure of donations and electoral expenditure.”

This conjures up an impression of dishonesty. Can you see that?

“Absolutely.” 

What do you say to that?

“I reject those allegations.” 

How would they come to that conclusion?

“I honestly think that they were looking for a way… I honestly don’t know. But I strongly disagree with what they have said… and I am currently seeking legal advice about that.”

As to whether it’s defamatory, is that what you’re seeking advice over?

“Yes. I have been compliant with the Electoral Act since I have been a member of the Legislative Assembly and they have received no formal complaints about me from the electoral commissioner.” 

Secondly: “In taking the decision [to disendorse], the Liberal Party also took into account conduct which had exposed the party to potential workplace claims as a result of Mrs Kikkert’s behaviour towards employees.

“The Canberra Liberals take compliance with the Electoral Act 1992 very seriously, and have no tolerance for behaviour which would not be acceptable in any workplace.”

You’re looking like a dishonest bully, that must hurt.

“Absolutely.”

What do you think the bullying slur is about?

“I reject and I strongly disagree with their interpretation of the event.”

So there is an event?

“An incident.”

Was that an incident between you and a staff member?

“Not my staff.”

Somebody outside your office?

“Somebody outside.”

Was there an argument?

“Currently I’m seeking legal advice about it.”

Sense of calm and injustice

Did you see these claims against you coming?

“No. I didn’t see it coming at all. I was crushed.

“I was appalled… a Liberal member messaged me saying have you seen your emails. I said no and she said well, you’d better open them. And that’s how I found out.”

What did you do about it?

“Funnily enough, when I read it there was a sense of calm and at the same time there was a sense of injustice with this because I didn’t even know that there was a formal complaint about me. I didn’t even know that they were considering this and if they were considering this they didn’t even give me an opportunity to actually talk about or to state my case.”

If you had been given a chance to speak to Elizabeth Lee, would that have made it a little better for you?

“I honestly don’t know. I honestly don’t think it would.”

Did you hear from any of your former colleagues?

“Jeremy Hanson reached out to check on me and James [Milligan] reached out to check in on me, but that’s it.

“Church people have been wonderful, reaching out to support me and support the kids.

“It has been really, really comforting to have people who actually believe in you and don’t believe anything they have read on social media or even on the media. 

“When they read it they quickly reached out and said are you okay because we don’t believe anything they’ve said about you.”

And on the streets of Ginninderra?

“People are disappointed about what has happened and have asked me consistently what am I going to do now and please do not give up politics and that I’ve been a really good, strong advocate for them in the Legislative Assembly. 

“And they don’t want to see my political life come to an end like that.”