Groom MP Garth Hamilton addresses Toowoomba LNP members during ‘fiery’ meeting

Groom MP Garth Hamilton has addressed Toowoomba’s LNP membership after the party’s poor federal election result, in a “fiery” meeting featuring anger over media leaks.

Groom MP LNP candidate Garth Hamilton arrives to cast his vote in the federal election at Centenary Heights State High School. Picture: Kevin Farmer

UPDATE: Members within the LNP’s Toowoomba branch have exploded at internal leaks during a meeting to decide the future of the party’s leadership.

The “fiery” meeting on Thursday night, which was attended by more than 120 members according to multiple sources, re-elected Isaac Moody as president of the Groom federal divisional council.

Mr Moody beat moderate Liberal member and beef farmer Bryce Camm by 10 votes, after other challengers Doug Allen and Brad Siddans dropped out, indicating a narrow victory.

It comes just a day after The Chronicle revealed sections of the membership base wanted changes to leadership following the alarming drop in primary votes at the 2022 federal election.

While the meeting was described as productive and positive, several attendees were angered by members speaking about the party’s inner workings to the media.

It is understood Groom MP Garth Hamilton addressed the meeting and expressed the need to rebuild the party’s brand with “good policy”.

EARLIER: Parts of the LNP’s rank-and-file membership are preparing to revolt against the party’s direction in Toowoomba following Groom MP Garth Hamilton’s alarming federal election result on May 21.

Thursday’s annual general meeting to decide the party’s Groom federal divisional council (FDC) is expected to explode, with three people challenging LNP powerbroker Isaac Moody’s current role as chair.

Isaac Moody.

They include beef producer and moderate faction member Bryce Camm, Mr Hamilton’s 2020 by-election campaign manager Doug Allen and experienced agricultural sector member Brad Siddans.

It comes after the party suffered its worst primary vote result since it unified in 2008, with the re-elected Mr Hamilton attracting just 43.7 per cent of the primary vote — a drop of nearly 10 points.

Much of the party’s previous support went to high-profile independent Suzie Holt, who ran on appealing to small-l Liberals and finished second 57-43 on a two-candidate basis.

The poor primary result, which is believed to have cost the party more than $30,000 in potential funding from the Australian Electoral Commission, has sparked calls from more moderate factions for a shift away from the right-wing.

Australian Lot Feeders’ Association president Bryce Camm

The AGM could also be a litmus test on the performance of Mr Hamilton as MP, who is part of the Liberal Party’s more conservative wing in Canberra.

Several Toowoomba members expressed their dissatisfaction with the party’s state direction, calling for a change in leadership.

While details around the party’s inner workings are deliberately opaque, it’s understood the FDC helps plan the next federal election, discusses policy positions and assists with the campaigns of state MPs where required.

The chair also has an automatic spot at the LNP’s state convention every year.

One figure said the AGM at Club Toowoomba was expected to be “fiery”, while another said the party faced political irrelevance without change.

“The LNP is full of a bunch of old people stuck in their ways and they will die a painful death if they don’t change,” one person said.

All members who were contacted said at least part of the LNP’s rank-and-file were unhappy.

Mr Hamilton, who declined to comment on inner-party workings, told The Chronicle following the election that the Coalition had “lost credibility” as a centre-right party nationally.

“We lost credibility as the party of centre-right, we lost trust with the voters,” he said on May 23.

“We’ve seen an election where Labor has won without a mandate — this isn’t a situation that’s anything other than us having lost.

“The first thing we need to do is acknowledge the result and take it on the chin.

“That process of restoring credibility, there’s no silver bullet – that’s us lifting our standards.”

Mr Moody and Mr Camm were both contacted for comment on their nominations for FDC chair.

Real estate agent Bronwyn Evans is expected to retain her role as vice-chair, while Mr Allen is in a two-way battle for the secretary’s role with Rebecca Anderson.

No one has nominated for treasurer yet.

Originally published as Groom MP Garth Hamilton addresses Toowoomba LNP members during ‘fiery’ meeting