Tim Wilson is asking for donations to help fund “Polly the Victory Van”, a campaign vehicle emblazoned with his likeness, as he attempts to take back Goldstein from independent Zoe Daniel.

“Polly is going to say ‘hello’, but she survives on donations,” Wilson said in a post shared across multiple social media platforms.

“If you can help keep Polly on the campaign trail go to https://tim-wilson.com.au/donate.”

Wilson, who declared ownership of four properties on his statement of interests when he left Parliament, has been pilloried by some on social media for asking for donations towards the van.

The call for cash comes as he attempts to win back a seat integral to the Liberal Party’s hopes of returning to government.

The former two-term Liberal member is staring down a different playing field at the next federal election compared to 2022 when Daniel, then an upstart ‘teal’ independent, harnessed a growing grassroots movement to take Goldstein.

Goldstein takes in the Melbourne bayside suburbs of Beaumaris, Bentleigh, Brighton, Caulfield South, Gardenvale and Sandringham. It also includes parts of Cheltenham, Glen Huntly, Elsternwick and Ormond.

Back then, Wilson faced a wave of discontent with the Morrison government’s handling of climate change, integrity in politics and the treatment of women within his electorate, albeit with the advantage of incumbency.

A double-digit swing away from the Liberal Party saw it lose the seat for the first time since it was created in 1984.

Hard task

Although 2022 was a historic defeat, Wilson beat two women during pre-selection for another tilt at his former seat.

Mark Kenny, a professor at Australian National University’s Australian Studies Institute, said that Daniel, like most of the other teals, has been an effective and successful first-term representative.

“She’s conscientious, a very good communicator across a lot of issues and has shown genuine courage and principles,” he said.

“There have been relatively few independents in Parliament, but once they have broken through they have proven hard to shift.”

He said that voters may not look kindly upon the Liberal Party pre-selecting a candidate who has previously been voted out by his electorate.

“Wilson has a lot of networks in the electorate, he’s experienced and he’s been a member and he knows how to run a campaign,” Kenny said.

“All of that can be retorted by the simple fact he lost last time.”

The New Daily contacted Wilson for comment.

Moderate or not?

The Albanese government isn’t exactly a hit with voters, with its lead since the last election slowly whittled away.

Pollsters are pointing towards the likelihood of a minority government.

Both Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese are unpopular with voters. Photo: AAP

Wilson is a political soldier; he steadfastly held the party line at the last election, never breaking with policies and positions that were unpopular within his own electorate.

Although Scott Morrison’s personal brand was a factor in the final result, the politics of his new leader Peter Dutton are unlikely to win him any new voters in Goldstein either, according to Kenny.

“(Dutton’s) messaging hasn’t shown any great deference or sensitivity to the reasons that a lot of Liberal Party voters walked away from the party last time,” he said.

“Wilson may claim that he is a Liberal moderate, but what does that mean these days?”