For a time, Kellie Sloane’s backers worried there was a stumbling block to her becoming Liberal leader. Could a leader from an electorate that screams privilege really speak to the city’s western suburbs or the state’s regions?

The party has previously experimented with a leader from Vaucluse, and it failed spectacularly. But was it the name of the electorate or the choice of leader? (Peter Debnam led the Liberals to a loss in 2007, an election even Labor admits should not have gone their way.)

Newly installed NSW Liberal Party leader Kellie Sloane outside Edgecliff station in her Vaucluse electorate. Credit: Dylan Coker

Liberal operatives ultimately landed on Vaucluse not being a major hindrance for Sloane, convinced that her strong communication skills would be able to neutralise

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