The major parties have officially started the process to preselect candidates for next year's ACT election, marking the beginning of a 15-month race to form the next territory government.
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In a break from tradition, the Canberra Liberals will select candidates in two stages. Incumbent parliamentarians in the five electorates will seek re-endorsement in the first round in September, before aspiring MLA's vie to fill the remaining spots on the Liberals' ticket in a separate voting process in November.
Canberra Liberals president John Cziela said the move would give those outside the Assembly a better opportunity to build their profile among the party membership.
"It also allows a greater amount of competition for people seeking pre-selection who aren't currently an incumbent, because in the second round they won't be competing against them," Mr Cziela said.
Mr Cziela said he was excited by the calibre of people who had so far expressed an interest in running at the October 2020 election.
The Liberals will need to find a replacement for frontbencher Vicki Dunne, who this week announced she would end her almost 20-year political career at the election.
Ms Dunne polled 9 per cent of the vote in Ginninderra at the 2016 ballot, placing her second only to Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry among candidates in the Belconnen-based seat.
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Elizabeth Kikkert was the opposition's next best performing candidate, garnering 6.7 per cent of the vote.
ACT Labor this week opened nominations for the preselection of the 25 candidates it will take to next year's ballot, where the party will be seeking a sixth consecutive term in office.
At least 12 of the 25 candidates will be women, after ACT Labor members voted at last week's party conference to implement the affirmative action measure.
ACT Labor secretary Matthew Byrne said the pre-selection process would be wrapped up by the end of September, about two months earlier than it had in the lead up to the 2016 election.
"I think that's because we are not taking the election for granted at all," Mr Byrne said.
"We all know that seeking a sixth term will be a challenge, so we want to make sure that our team is ready and we can hit the ground running as soon as possible."
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
