Dutton shortens the leash on Liberals after election wounds cause factional war

New leader Peter Dutton has turned up to a NSW Liberal Party meeting as he aims to put an end to the factional war that cost the party heavily at the federal election.

Addressing the Liberal members, Mr Dutton declared he would not be turning up to meetings of the executive “on a regular occurrence”.

And contrary to his predecessor, he would not be using federal intervention to protect sitting members.

I won’t make this a regular occurrence.” A source said Mr Dutton told the meeting, while also adding the he said:

“I won’t entertain federal intervention to protect sitting members.”

Liberal leader Peter Dutton has turned up to a meeting of the NSW senior party officials as he moves to stop the rot in the NSW party after a factional war that has been blamed contributing to the federal election loss.

New Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton poses for photographs at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Tracey Nearmy

Mr Dutton slipped in to the NSW Liberal Party Sydney headquarters in Macquarie Street shortly after 6pm ahead of a meeting of the State executive, which is expected to discuss the election result as well as a review underway into the Coalition campaign.

Alex Hawke, the right-hand-man of former prime minister Scott Morrison and who had been the leader’s representative on the executive, has been blamed for the preselection delays that led to candidates such as biological sex campaigner Katherine Deves being chosen in critical seats like Warringah just weeks from election day.

Senator Andrew Bragg, who has put a proposal for the leader’s representative from participating in their own preselection process, has argued the failure of key candidates not being selected sooner had hurt the party at the ballot box.

In the lead up to the election, Liberals members accused Mr Hawke of stalling the process by not turning up to candidate vetting panels as he sought to secure his own preselection amid a warring executive.

Alex Hawke standing behind Scott Morrison when he was PM. Picture: Jason Edwards

In defending himself, Mr Hawke has claimed the biggest obstacle in candidate selection was that incumbent women MPs were being “deliberately targeted by the factions”.

Months of factional infighting led Mr Morrison to take control of the NSW party in March with the federal executive setting up a three-person committee who re-endorsed Mr Hawke along with two other incumbent MPs.

With Mr Morrison gone, Mr Hawke is not expected to participate in executive meetings with Mr Dutton to choose his own representative.

Meanwhile, a review of the Liberal Party’s 2022 federal election campaign being conducted by Brian Loughnane AO and Senator Jane Hume is accepting submissions until June 30.

Along with the campaign, the review is also looking at the selection of candidates.

The NSW state executive will be critical in overseeing the selection of candidates in the state election in March next year.