Sussan Ley was the last person I spoke to in alarm about the Liberal Party’s disastrous policy that proposed to restrict public servants working from home. At the time, she was shadow minister for women.

As the Liberal candidate for Robertson, the longest-running bellwether electorate in Australia, I felt the impact immediately. It was beyond bad. People who were once interested in Liberal plans and policies no longer cared. “Yeah – nah” they said, and that was that.

Liberal leader Sussan Ley was the only one who listened.Credit: AAP

The mere suggestion that the Liberals might not uphold values of individual freedom by telling people what to do in their homes and workplaces went down like a lead balloon in Robertson. Not surprising, given we are a Central Coast commuter belt where people can spend four hours a day commuting to work.

I spoke up loudly against the policy from the day it was announced, to every relevant shadow minister and the opposition leader too. Every person I spoke to justified the policy.

Everyone, that is, except Sussan Ley. She called me one day to see how things were going. “You’re right,” Sussan said to me in response to my blunt assessment of what people thought of us and our policy. “You’re always right.” She meant my community was right: I was........

© The Sydney Morning Herald