An “urgent” electronic ballot has been sent to members of the NSW Liberal Party’s state executive to try to fix a debacle which has left crucial seats without candidates as an election looms.
Deputy state director Simon McInnes sent the email to the NSW division on Tuesday evening, giving them a 17-hour deadline to 12pm Wednesday to vote on the latest proposal to fix the stalemate caused by factional infighting.
It came just hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s controversial takeover of the state executive expired at 5pm, with confirmation he used his temporary five days of power to endorse three sitting MPs without preselections.
The NSW division was on Friday given three weeks resolve a still-existing mess in which six winnable seats remain without Liberal candidates despite an election being imminent.
In the ballot sent by Mr McInnes, the first motion proposes that branch members vote for candidates via virtual “tele town hall meetings”.
These would take place for Eden-Monaro, Parramatta and Hugxjmtzywhes.
Bennelong’s meeting has already been locked in for March 23, it notes.
In order to further speed up the process, financial branch members would automatically be registered to vote, plebiscites allowed to be held on shorter notice and the nomination review process eased.
In a significant backdown, the ballot includes a motion for Lincoln Parker, a member of the Manly branch, to be endorsed to take on high-profile independent Zali Steggall in Warringah.
Just a week ago, NSW Liberal president Philip Ruddock put forward a motion for disability campaigner David Brady to run despite him not living in the area.
The motion failed as it required a 90 per cent majority from the state executive because Mr Brady, unlike Mr Parker, did not nominate for preselection.
A local branch president also vented his fury in a widely circulated email about the prospect of Mr Brady, who he called an “outsider”, being parachuted in.
The seventh and final motion asks the state executive to endorse cardiologist Michael Feneley – who is backed by the right faction – in the marginal seat of Dobell.
Mr Morrison’s reported preferred candidate, Pentecostal preacher Jemima Gleeson, withdrew amid the delays.
The ballot notes the seats of Fowler, Grayndler, Greenway, McMahon and Newcastle – which are also without Liberal candidates – are not winnable.
It says they should be “rationalised so that there is only one nominee remaining”.
On Friday Mr Morrison was given temporary control of the NSW executive, which operates like a company board for the Liberal Party.
He was part of a committee appointed by the federal executive so Environment Minister Sussan Ley, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke and North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman could be endorsed.
The NSW division was given a looming deadline of March 25 to resolve the issues with the remaining seats.
There has been widespread fury within the party that Mr Morrison’s ally and representative on the state executive, Mr Hawke, was a major contributor to the delays by not attending meetings to clear candidates for preselection ballots.
Some have believed this was a tactic so his preferred picks could be installed.
Mr Hawke has never commented publicly on this.
