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‘Strings are being pulled elsewhere’: Josh Frydenberg hits out at ‘fake’ independents
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has hit out at "fake" independents running against traditionally Liberal-held seats whose "strings are being pulled elsewhere". It comes as Mr Frydenberg's Melbourne seat of Kooyong is facing a challenge from one of the many cashed-up pro-climate independent candidates taking on moderate Liberals, in what are traditionally blue-ribbon seats. Professor Monique Ryan is taking on the deputy Liberal leader as a "voices of" candidate and has admitted she was a member of the Labor Party for three years. "We don't take anything for granted, I continue to work hard for my community," Mr Frydenberg told Sky News Australia. "But these independents are certainly acting like a political party – the strings are being pulled elsewhere. "In the case of my opponent who calls themselves an independent, they're a former member of the Labor Party – something they sort to cover up." Professor Ryan denied she tried to cover that point up. "I haven't at any point hidden the fact that I was a member of the Labor Party briefly from 2007," she told Sky News Australia. "To call me a fake independent is just cheapening what the people of Kooyong feel and want – which is someone who represents what they want."
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