Inside story of LNP ‘misogyny storm’ revealed

Federal MP Julian Simmonds has spoken out about the ‘false narratives’ written after he won the preselection ballot against the sitting member Jane Prentice in the seat of Ryan.

Winning the preselection in May 2018 for the federal seat of Ryan cast me into a frenzied media storm I had not anticipated or prepared for.

Journalists from all over the country were using it as an example of the LNP’s misogyny, prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s weak leadership, a takeover by ultra conservative forces and evidence of our pre-election self-destruction.

These were absurdly false narratives written by people who had never set foot in the electorate, let alone attended the preselection vote.

After I won the preselection ballot, the media tried to revise history as if it was a personal vendetta against the sitting federal member, Jane Prentice.

Having worked with Prentice in council and succeeding her as councillor, nothing could have been further from the truth. I was close to Prentice and had enormous respect for her achievements.

Julian Simmonds and former federal MP Jane Prentice. Picture: Sarah Keayes

I had hoped she would stick to her earlier indications to retire, but when she didn’t, I didn’t consider a deal had been broken.

I wasn’t so naive to think Prentice wouldn’t take it personally. I couldn’t control that, but I could control my own actions as I put myself forward.

I took with gusto to convincing local LNP members what we could achieve together. I wanted our local community to play a more vocal role in the national debate.

I wanted us to approach the upcoming federal election, which was looking increasingly dire, with a spirited grassroots campaign that I knew I had the energy to lead.

I was younger than most people who seek federal parliament, so I proactively pointed out that I had the experience where it counted – on campaigns, as an elected representative and as a member of a cabinet.

Ultimately I simply urged party members to do what they always did – take their responsibility seriously and choose the best candidate on merit.

Jane Prentice. Picture: Annette Dew

I won the nomination 256 votes to 103. As far as the national media was concerned, despite the overwhelming result, it must have been a simple case of gender bias. Why else would party members in the room, of whom 47 per cent were women, have voted for me other than because I was a man! It was so ludicrous that I honestly didn’t see it coming, but it dominated national debate for a week. Commentators called on Turnbull to step in and save Prentice as the candidate.

For a few days after the vote, I braced for the call I thought would come from the Prime Minister’s Office. The one where they implore you, in the interests of the party, to step aside.

To Turnbull’s credit, my concerns were unfounded.

The nature of democracy is that your preferred candidate doesn’t always win, but this didn’t seem to dawn on most of the media commentators with a gender barrow to push.

Just because you don’t like the outcome of a democratic vote, however, it doesn’t make it any less valid or virtuous.