Liberal state executive votes to suspend Alex Hawke’s branch over 2018 dispute
The NSW Liberal party’s state executive has voted to suspend the branch of PM Scott Morrison’s right hand man Alex Hawke.
NSW
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The NSW Liberal party’s state executive has voted to suspend the branch of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s right hand man Alex Hawke in a move which may have implications for Mr Hawke’s preselection for the seat of Mitchell.
However the vote may not be the end of a factional fight lasting more than two and a half years.
In the latest twist in the dispute, the Hawke camp is now challenging the vote claiming it was tainted by a state executive member with a conflict of interest.
The dispute centres around a branch meeting in October 2018, where it was alleged records were doctored in a bid to block 10 new conservative members joining.
Minutes of the meeting sent to the party’s state director stated the conservatives had been rejected but a number of party members made statutory declarations declaring that the members had in fact been accepted.
If the suspension goes ahead it could have possible implications for Mr Hawke, who faces a potential preselection challenge for his seat of Mitchell.
Suspending the Baulkham Hills branch would mean its members will not be able to participate in any preselections, including for The Hills Shire Council ahead of September’s local government election.
A senior Liberal source said the branch “may not be able to participate in the Mitchell preselection” if it is suspended.
Mr Hawke is an ally of Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the PM’s representative on state executive.
The electronic ballot of NSW Liberal state executive members on Tuesday came after multiple delays in resolving the dispute.
The matter had been delayed so many times that Liberals had privately joked that the matter would never be resolved.
The most recent delays were caused by the dominant Moderate and Right factions not wanting to bring on a vote to suspend the branch until they knew it would be successful.
Earlier delays were blamed on State Director Chris Stone not wanting to make a ruling.
In February, Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells launched a parliamentary attack on the “party machine” for failing to resolve the matter.
“The MP at the centre of the accusations will most certainly be challenged at his next preselection, so 10 new members could make all the difference,” Ms Fierravanti-Wells said in February.
Mr Hawke’s office was contacted for comment.
Originally published as Liberal state executive votes to suspend Alex Hawke’s branch over 2018 dispute
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