Voters in the Sydney seat of Cook will head to the polls on April 13 in a by-election to choose a replacement in parliament for Scott Morrison.
The by-election was triggered by the former prime minister's resignation in February from federal politics after 16 years in office.
The Liberals hold the seat by 12.4 per cent, but did suffer a 6.58 per cent swing against it at the last election, on a two-party preferred basis.
The Liberal Party has pre-selected consultant Simon Kennedy as its candidate for the seat to replace Mr Morrison.
Mr Kennedy previously contested the northern Sydney electorate of Bennelong for the coalition at the 2022 federal election, but the party suffered a more than seven per cent swing against it.
The pre-selection generated controversy because a female candidate not being picked to run, despite a Liberal Party review from the 2022 election loss pointing to the need to run more women in winnable seats.
While Mr Kennedy did not live in Cook before the pre-selection, he said he would move to the area before the vote.
Labor has yet to pre-select a candidate and there is speculation the party won't run one in the safe Liberal seat.
Candidates need to be finalised by March 21.
The electorate in Sydney's Sutherland Shire has been held by the Liberals since 1975 and has been regarded as one of the party's safest seats.
Mr Morrison was first elected to represent Cook at the 2007 election, before going on to serve as immigration minister, social services minister and treasurer in the Abbott and Turnbull governments, before becoming prime minister in 2018.
He moved to the backbench following the coalition's election loss in 2022, before he announced he would step down from federal politics in early 2024.
People in the southern Sydney seat have until March 18 to finalise their details on the electoral roll.
Australian Election Commission NSW state manager Rebecca Main urged residents to ensure they were on the roll correctly.
"If you live in the division of Cook, have recently moved to the areas or are a local resident who has turned 18, then you should check your enrolment details at aec.gov.au now," she said.
