Don Harwin fronted Electoral Commission to save ally as candidate deadline ticked over

Backroom negotiations and internal deals to save Liberal President Don Harwin’s factional allies have been blamed for the party’s implosion over council candidates, amid fresh revelations about what he up to while the nomination deadline passed.

Backroom negotiations and internal deals to save Don Harwin’s factional allies have been directly blamed for the Liberal Party’s implosion over council candidates, amid fresh revelations about what the embattled Liberal president was doing when the party missed a crucial nomination deadline.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that as the council deadline flew past, Mr Harwin was fighting to save factional ally Julian Leeser from having his federal electorate abolished.

Mr Harwin told members of the state executive last Wednesday that he had spent the day appearing before the Electoral Commission trying to save Mr Leeser’s seat of Berowra in a looming redistribution.

Mr Harwin was clinging onto the Liberal Party presidency by the skin of his teeth on Tuesday, after multiple party officials called for his resignation over the council debacle.

It can now be revealed that Liberal Leader Mark Speakman’s representative on the party state executive was also up to his neck in the fiasco the day before nominations closed.

NSW State Liberal Party President Don Harwin. Picture: Matrix

The Telegraph can reveal that Mr Coure was locked in talks last Tuesday with prospective Georges River council candidates after taking leave from parliament to attend a family member’s funeral.

After the funeral, Mr Coure attended a series of factional meetings regarding the Georges River council ticket.

Mr Coure said he met with potential candidates in the afternoon due to the “urgency” of the situation.
“Had the deadline not been so close, I would have remained at the wake,” he said.

A ballot to endorse council candidates in Georges River was only finalised at 10am on Wednesday – two hours before the electoral commission’s deadline.

The Georges River candidates were among the last to be endorsed.

The Liberals missed the deadline to nominate a number of candidates in that council, in a move which will benefit Labor.

Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism and Oatley MP Mark Coure. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Liberal sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, accused Mr Coure and Mr Harwin of trying to “game the system for their own benefit,” leading to the candidate catastrophe.

“The whole reason nominations were delayed is because the left (faction) was trying to game the system for their own benefit,” one said.

Another blamed the “time, energy, and effort that the President and his allies spent on factional deals” for the party failing to get nominations in on time.

“When you’re already under administrative pressure, that (factional deals) add further stress,” another said.

State executive was asked to sign off on five council tickets on Tuesday night, ahead of the Wednesday deadline: Georges River, Penrith, Maitland, Randwick, and The Entrance.

Mr Speakman on Monday rejected the idea that “back room negotiations and machinations” surrounding preselections impacted the nomination process.

NSW Liberal Party leader Mark Speakman. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

The NSW Liberal party conceded defeat on Tuesday night in its legal fight against the electoral commission.

After warning that the “integrity of our democracy is at stake” the party has abandoned a legal challenge over the candidate nomination debacle.

The party received legal advice, but then dropped the case.

“Having given consideration to that advice the Division will not be taking any legal proceedings,” a spokesman said.

The confirmation came two days after The Daily Telegraph asked the party for details of the mooted legal action.

Originally published as Don Harwin fronted Electoral Commission to save ally as candidate deadline ticked over