The process to appoint the new federal Liberal candidate has been described from those within the party as a "stitch-up" and undemocratic.

With a 15.9 per cent margin, North Sydney is one of the safest federal Liberal electorates in Australia.

The seat was held by Mr Hockey for nearly 20 years and now the party was facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to choose a new candidate.

But some insiders said that opportunity had been missed, and instead of a genuine competition the safe seat was being effectively handed to a party apparatchik.

Barrister and Liberal Party member Juris Laucis was disappointed in the process, saying that the Liberal Party machine had guaranteed that Mr Zimmerman would win the contest.

"Trent Zimmerman has almost 50 per cent in the bag even before you start the pre-selection voting, and that's not democratic," he told 7.30, describing the pre-selection process as a "stitch-up".

The candidate was decided by a vote of 48 members from the North Sydney branch, and around 40 from the Liberal Party's state executive and state council.

There would have been 48 from the central branch, but 7.30 understands eight of them had been ruled out on technicalities, such as not attending a sufficient number of Liberal Party meetings.

Mr Laucis, a member in the neighbouring Warringah branch, said a decision by the NSW Liberal Party not to allow all the branch members of North Sydney to vote for a candidate was a mistake.

He risked expulsion from the party by speaking out about the pre-selection process.

"I'm fully aware that as member of Liberal Party I am not supposed to speak about party matters to the press, however when there is no avenue of complaint within the constitution when you feel the executive are not doing the right thing there is no other choice," he said.

"If it means I get expelled so be it, but it's not really worth being part of a party that does not practice democracy."

North Sydney has been represented by an independent in the past. The seat was held between 1990 to 1996 by Ted Mack.

The Australian Electoral Commission estimates that the by-election will cost over $1 million.

The faceless men!

Now who was it complaining about that to long a go?

This is exactly what happened in the Qld State seat of Fisher, held by Brough.  At pre-selection, (following Slipper) the local Members were outnumbered by State Executive blow ins who handed the endorsement to the non-local loser Mal Brough.

Give me Labor Party factions any day of the week over this horseshit.

Redmond Neck wrote on Oct 27^th, 2015 at 1:09pm:


Shhh! You'll scare the fish!

John Smith wrote on Oct 27^th, 2015 at 2:27pm:



No they have something far worse ... the Liberals' own version of infighting and permanent gag orders against all Liberal members.

mariacostel wrote on Oct 27^th, 2015 at 4:09pm:


but labor isn't complaining, I don't think they've commented on it at all ... it's the liberal parties own members who are complaining 

John Smith wrote on Oct 27^th, 2015 at 4:15pm:

It is rather ironic how the Liberals like to point out how Labor MPs can't cross the floor in Parliament without being expelled from the party, when members of the Liberal party cannot speak out against internal party matters without being expelled from the party. Sure, a Liberal MP can cross the floor to vote against the party (but this stunt never actually happens if it could change the outcome of the vote) but it's apparently a greater crime for Liberal members to complain about internal party matters. The governance of the Liberal party is suspect, especially the NSW branch, and it isn't surprising that it's got to the point where Liberal party members would rather risk being expelled than stay silent under the perpetual Liberal gag order.

LNP internal tensions flare over Brisbane City Council preselection


The Liberal National Party's safest ward on Brisbane City Council has become embroiled in a bitter internal dispute over the candidate chosen to replace long-serving councillor Margaret de Wit.

Kate Richards, a former council employee for 10 years, was preselected as the LNP's new candidate the replace the retiring incumbent earlier this month after a hotly contested battle with nursery assistant and former Qantas customer service manager Andrew O'Hara.

She won the contest 38-37, with several members of the LNP executive also attending to vote.

But the ABC has been told several local members felt she was "parachuted" into the safe seat, which the LNP holds with a massive 32 per cent margin.

It has inflamed tensions within the LNP branch.

I really am disgusted about the way this has happened.
LNP member who spoke to the ABC
The ABC understands three members of the Kenmore branch committee, including the chair and secretary, have resigned in protest and joined renegade branch Bellbowrie.

The Bellbowrie branch started about six months ago and now has 35 members.

One LNP member who wanted to remain anonymous told the ABC they were disillusioned with current processes.

"I really am disgusted about the way this has happened," the person said.

Another member said there was a feeling members were no longer getting value out of their membership and likened the preselection fight to that of Joe Hockey's safe seat of North Sydney, which saw a former staffer of Mr Hockey endorsed.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-27/lnp-internal-dispute-over-brisbane-council...