But after blaming “property developer interests” for coalescing around a political rival, the former Howard government minister’s career in public life has ended abruptly and unceremoniously in a virtual meeting of Liberal Party faithful.

Mr Ruddock, the incumbent mayor of the leafy northern Sydney shire Hornsby, lost preselection for upcoming local elections on Monday evening.

The party elder statesman, who played key roles in Australia’s same-sex marriage and asylum seeker debates in the 2000s, went out swinging against what he branded an orchestrated campaign focused on “self-interest” rather than considered development.

“People who have large tracts of land and expect to be able to subdivide it at some time in the future want to see zoning change,” he told ABC Sydney on Tuesday.

“I suspect there are developer interests that think it can be done more quickly.”

Hornsby is one of the areas being targeted for increased development with a blanket rezoning around the existing train station to deliver thousands more homes under a signature Labor state government policy.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman dismissed Mr Ruddock’s concerns while paying tribute to his “exemplary service to Australia”.

“He has someone who should be enormously proud of his record,” the NSW Liberal leader told reporters.

“This is not a vote of some development lobby group, this is a vote of members in Hornsby … and I respect the outcome.”

Mr Ruddock entered federal parliament at a by-election for the seat of Parramatta in 1973.

He had a couple of political near-death experiences through every MP’s nightmare in the form of major redistributions that led to him moving to the now-abolished Dundas and finally to Berowra in northern Sydney.

Retiring in 2016, he soon took charge of his local council, where his father had also once served as mayor.

Generational change in the area was also on show on Tuesday as former state treasurer Matt Kean’s likely replacement greeted voters at Hornsby train station.

Lawyer and father-of-one James Wallace won Liberal preselection on Saturday for the safe state seat of Hornsby after Mr Kean’s retirement from politics in June.

Mr Wallace said he was focused on cost-of-living issues affecting locals as well as road and park upgrades.

“It’s harder to buy a home, it’s hard for young families to give their kids the best chance in life and it’s really tough at the moment to make your paycheque last,” he said.

A second by-election in Liberal heartland is also due in the seat of former premier Dominic Perrottet.

The father of seven, who also served in senior positions in the O’Farrell, Baird and Berejiklian governments, will deliver his valedictory speech on Tuesday afternoon.