Kooyong Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer agreed to an on-camera chat with me at the pre-polling booth in Malvern earlier this week, and we covered everything from cost-of-living to jiu-jitsu.
One of the more contentious issues to follow her so far has been her property portfolio which I revealed a few weeks ago in The Age.
At 31, Hamer owns homes in both Canberra and London, a fact not disclosed earlier in her campaign when she was highlighting her status as a renter in Hawthorn. Her main rival, incumbent independent MP Monique Ryan, has accused her of misleading voters.
I asked Hamer a few different ways whether she regretted not declaring those properties sooner. She didn’t directly say yes or no, instead suggesting her rental status may simply be more notable given her political party.
“Sometimes, as a younger politician in the Liberal Party, it’s probably more interesting to people that I rent,” she said. “I’ve talked about being a home owner. I’ve talked about being a renter.”
While critics call it a case of dishonesty by omission, Hamer said she wasn’t deceptive and maintained she shared her background when relevant.
“No one’s experience is the same as anyone else’s,” she said. “But where I can find common ground with people, that’s how I approach it.”
We also talked about housing policy, and the Coalition’s controversial pledge to allow first-home buyers to use their superannuation for a house deposit.
Hamer defended the idea by flipping the narrative.
“You can buy an investment property with your superannuation, but you actually can’t buy your first home if you don’t own that yet,” she said.
“So I think it’s a good thing to say to people: you can invest in shares, you can invest in property, but you can also invest in your first home.”
This election marks Hamer’s first tilt at public office. A former finance professional, she has focused her campaign on cost-of-living concerns, access to healthcare, and “the basics”—including road maintenance, which has drawn criticism for being a state or local issue.
But Hamer argues Canberra should step in when other levels of government drop the ball. “My focus is not on the bureaucracy, it’s on solving problems,” she said. “If the state can’t fund a project, maybe the feds can help unlock it.”
She also stood by the Coalition’s push to pursue nuclear energy, saying Kooyong voters want net-zero solutions but expect “all technologies on the table”.
I also asked her what had surprised her most on the campaign trail.
“The level of support and kindness from people,” Hamer said. “Even those who don’t necessarily support me have been willing to have open, constructive conversations.”
And for those trying to get to know her: Hamer is a jiu-jitsu enthusiast. “Hopefully that stands me in good stead in parliament,” she joked, “and in the chamber.”
If you’d like to suggest more questions for Hamer or Ryan when I catch up with them next – feel free to leave them below.