NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will nominate against Multicultural Affairs Minister Ray Williams
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s authority over her own Cabinet was under question last night after a preselection spat between two ministers erupted into open warfare just six months out from the state election.
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THE NSW government is engaged in open civil warfare, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian on track to sack Cabinet minister Ray Williams after he threatened to move a spill motion against her deputy.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet’s declaration that he wants Mr Williams’ seat has ignited damaging infighting six months out from the state election, causing some MPs and strategists to question the strength and authority of the Premier’s own leadership.
The factional implosion in her own Cabinet comes just weeks after Ms Berejiklian fiercely condemned the Canberra political chaos and pledged her team would instead focus on voters.
Mr Williams, the Multicultural Minister, threatened to move a spill motion on Tuesday for the deputy leader’s position held by Mr Perrottet after Mr Perrottet declared he would challenge Mr Williams for his seat of Castle Hill.
Mr Perrottet lives 40km from his own seat of Hawkesbury, which has a safe margin of 17.8 per cent.
He has used distance to justify the seat swap, but he doesn’t live in Castle Hill but in the seat of Epping.
Mr Williams — who is in the party’s Centre Right faction and backed by federal powerbroker Alex Hawke — said it was “untenable” for a party leader to challenge a colleague.
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This view had some support even among Mr Perrottet’s ministerial colleagues. However, they will not back the spill motion for the sake of party unity.
Ms Berejiklian tried to quell the crisis yesterday, threatening to sack Mr Williams if he went ahead with the spill motion.
She said Mr Perrottet had her full confidence as deputy leader and that she’d asked Mr Williams to not proceed. “Otherwise his position in Cabinet is untenable,” she said.
But the Premier said she had reminded both ministers “the people of NSW expect their government to be solely focused on delivering for the community”.
Colleagues of Ms Berejiklian said the intervention came too late. Multiple sources said she was aware the conflict was brewing but was unable to knock the issue on the head before the warfare erupted.
Some sources say she offered support to Mr Williams to fight for his seat, further inflaming the issue.
MPs were stunned the historic factional warfare in Sydney’s north west had been allowed to reignite on the back of a humiliating defeat for the Liberals in Wagga Wagga.
It is understood it forced the cancellation of a flurry of media commitments over the weekend.
There was speculation that if Mr Perrottet does not win Castle Hill preselection he will switch to federal politics.