Liberal councillors Ned Attie, Jess Diaz join Martin Zaiter in suing Liberal Party HQ

The fight between western Sydney Liberal councillors and the Party HQ is hotting up with two more joining the fray. See the latest.

Two more Western Sydney Liberal councillors have launched their own legal action against the NSW Liberal Party — alleging wrongdoing and mismanagement in the upcoming Local Government Elections.

Cumberland councillor Ned Attie and Blacktown councillor Jess Diaz will take on their own party in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, just days after NewsLocal revealed Parramatta Liberal Martin Zaiter had lodged action.

Cumberland Liberal councillor Ned Attie. Picture: Richard Dobson

The three councillors are suing the party they represent, claiming its state executive has mismanaged the nomination process in the September Local Government Elections. Instead, attempting to use special powers to install factional allies.

One Liberal Party source close to the situation said the move by the three councillors, who are supported by “dozens of rank and file members” in their case was “in the interest of the community and the party”.

“We are just 57 days away from the Local Government Elections and they are using special powers rather than going by the appropriate process of preselection,” the source said. “If this isn’t a perfect example of gross negligence by the party, I don’t know what is.”

Blacktown Liberal Councillor Jess Diaz.

In Blacktown and Cumberland, NewsLocal understands the two cases will highlight the fact that the established Local Government Conferences weren’t given the opportunity to preselect candidates to run on the Liberal ticket.

Cr Diaz, who is also a lawyer, is expected to represent himself throughout Supreme Court proceedings.

Meanwhile a Liberal source said the two new challengers came after State Executive urban representative and hard-right factional heavyweight Matthew Camenzuli inserted himself as an additional defendant in Cr Zaiter’s case against the party.

The fight is taking place just weeks before the Local Government Elections. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

“This is factional warfare,” the party source said. “These challenges are to ensure that special powers cannot be used by the state executive to install candidates on Liberal tickets without the support of 90 per cent of the representatives.

The Liberal Party was contacted for comment.

EARLIER

On June 29, 2021

Liberal Councillor suing his own party over election nominations

A western Sydney Liberal councillor and member of the State Executive, is suing his own party with claims it has mismanaged the nomination process of Liberal candidates in the upcoming Local Government Elections.

Parramatta Liberal Cr Martin Zaiter is leading the charge against his own party — despite being an Urban Representative of the Liberal State Executive that made the decision not to run nominations in his area.

The civil case between Cr Zaiter and the NSW Liberal Party was launched in the Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Martin Zaiter poses for a photo at Parramatta Town Hall.(AAP/Keri Megelus)

Sources close to Cr Zaiter said the case against the Liberals was to prevent a breach of party constitution around the nomination of candidates in western Sydney local government areas without a preselection process.

“He is doing a good thing, he is standing up for the democratic process which is being flouted here,” the source said. “Hard right and left factions are trying to use special powers to install their own candidates in Parramatta, and other western Sydney local government areas.”

In Parramatta, the Liberal Party has not established a Local Government Conference, which would allow for branches within the region to preselect nominees for the September 4 council elections.

Cr Zaiter is up against the NSW Division of the Liberal Party in the Supreme Court. (AAP Image/Alan Porritt)

A senior Liberal Party source told NewsLocal the vote to establish a Local Government Conference failed “by a single vote”.

“Legal proceeding have been launched by Cr Zaiter,” the source confirmed. “The party has agreed to progress the matter but we don’t like wasting money on fighting our own people.”

“This begs the question, does the State Executive have the ability to install candidates without an overwhelming majority or preselection?”

Cr Zaiter was contacted for comment.