Secret Lib texts: Party officials joke about Tom Hanks night before missed deadline
Leaked WhatsApp messages from a Liberal Party chat group show how state executive members joked about Tom Hanks the night before the council nomination deadline was missed sending the party into meltdown. SEE THEM HERE
NSW
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Leaked WhatsApp messages have revealed how senior NSW Liberal Party executive members were joking around about actor Tom Hanks the night before the council nomination deadline.
So oblivious were the members at the fact that the nomination forms of 140 endorsed council candidates would soon fail to be lodged, they discussed changing the WhatsApp group profile to “Wilson”, believed to be the character in the movie “Castaway” starring Hanks.
It is understood the move was to applaud the work of party affairs manager “Wilson” Chessell.
The group chat is contained in transcripts of hundreds of WhatsApp messages exchanged by the party executive – and obtained by The Daily Telegraph – which show some members raising concerns in early June about the slow pace the council nomination process was taking.
The transcripts also confirm party president Don Harwin was implicitly involved in the process, responding to questions from the executive and providing updates.
The WhatsApp group includes members from both the party’s central decision making body – the NSW State Executive – and Liberal office staff, and also Liberal MP Mark Coure as the representative for State opposition leader Mark Speakman.
In a sign of what was to come, the message show executive members initially expressing their frustrations at the organisation of the Cook by-election in April, with one member complaining about the lack of emails or “a single text” from head office about volunteers despite voters heading to the booths in five days time.
“That is not the way to run a campaign … And I have run a few,” executive member Peter O’Hanlon wrote.
The group chat shows members began raising concerns about the local government elections on June 11.
“Does anyone have any info on Local government endorsements and preselections and when we will start endorsing and having preselections?” state executive member Ned Mannoun asked.
Jumping into the chat, fellow executive colleague Sally Betts also expressed her frustrations at the process, declaring: “Just can’t see how candidates can be in the field in one month as was the intention. Everyone very frustrated.”
In response, Mr Harwin explained how the “delays” related to the nomination review
process – a Liberal Party practice where candidates are “vetted” to ensure they haven’t committed any crimes and have disclosed visits to strip clubs or messy relationships.
“I’ve told the State Director (Richard Shields) to have all those where there are no need for
selections to have fax ballots ready for mid-June,” Mr Harwin wrote.
“And a plan for all selections to be concluded mid-July. I am meeting with staff tomorrow to assess progress since I met with them last week.
“I have responded to all members who have called and sought further info.”
The transcripts show Mr Harwin gives multiple updates on the process, at one stage requesting members to “reduce the strain” on staff by encouraging “consolidation” in the candidate selection process.
By August 8, there is a sense of urgency from Mr Harwin who noted in a message to the group how “nominations shut next Wed”.
“Tonight, the final Council selection will be held for winnable positions,” he wrote.
“Over the next few days, there will be a series of electronic ballots utilising urgency provisions (nominations shut next Wed) as we finalise unwinnable positions for the 40 councils we are contesting.”
Several of the chat group offer Mr Harwin praise for his efforts, although two executive members note how late the whole process has been left.
In response to one member expressing her gratitude to Mr Harwin and the “HQ team’s effort” in the “enormous undertaking”, executive member Wendy Lindsay said it should never have been “left so late”.
“Absolutely,” she replied.
“May it never be left so late and have the staff put under so much pressure ever again.”
Mr O’Hanlon echoed the sentiment, writing: stating: “Agree … This process was started last
September … Never Again”
The following day – five days before the August 14 noon deadline for the nominations to be lodged – Mr Harwin indicated a sense of urgency.
“Colleagues. Another fax ballot with ticket fillers about to issue. Quite a number are involved. All councils with LGCs and proceeding under urgency,” he wrote.
From August 11 – three days before deadline – Mr Harwin’s updates become more frequent, with some messages being sent to executive members minutes to midnight.
“And another one, with c. 75 more candidates for endorsement,” he wrote in a message time-stamped at 8.11pm, with Mr Coure and other executive members responding: “Well done”
By August 12, executive members started complaining about being “chased” by council candidates wanting to know if their nominations had been lodged.
“Hi all, sorry I know there’s a lot on your plate, but I’m being chased by a few endorsed local council candidates about when their noms will go to the NSW electoral commission,” executive member Alex Dore wrote.
“Does anyone know?”
“A number already have Alex. Message me directly and I’ll follow up,” Mr Harwin replied, before stating how another ballot was due “shortly” and “then one final one tonight or first thing tomorrow”.
In the same exchange, Mr O’Hanlon can be seen expressly clarifying with Mr Harwin that there were “2 days” before people had to lodge paperwork.
“I’m being chased by people regarding waivers,” he wrote.
“Understand that there are on 2 days before people have to lodge paperwork.”
“Yep,” Mr Harwin replied.
“Waivers are due to be on the next ballot. So it will be resolved later this
evening if people are happy with a 3-4 hour turnaround (preferred). Or by
9.00am in the morning if people want longer.
Feedback welcome.”
At 5.30pm, Mr Harwin announced “good news” about a fax ballot being “about 15 minutes away”, but noting how there would be a “quick turnaround” for it.
“Another one will be issued by maybe tonight but by 10.00am tomorrow at the
latest for final tidy-up of loose ends,” Mr Harwin wrote.
Just before midnight, Mr Harwin again wrote to the group, declaring how the final ballots had been issued although adding a “touch wood” to his message.
“For those of you night-owls still up, the LAST of the endorsement ballots has
just been (touch wood) just issued,” he wrote.
Among the executive members to thank Mr Harwin was Mr Coure who at 4.54am the following day wrote: “Many thanks team!”.
On August 13 – the day before the deadline – Mr Harwin reminded the group how the
local govt elections ballot that had come out at 11.30pm the previous night was “returnable at noon”.
That night, at 7.35pm, Mr Harwin declared how there had “unfortunately” been some “last minute withdrawals”, although stressed it was “not unusual”.
“So we’ve got a few ticket-fillers and one winnable position in Georges River to
replace in an electronic ballot,” he wrote.
“Ballot is returnable at 10am. No more replacements will be considered. If there is a withdrawal from this point, it will be left unfilled. All efforts will now directed to finalising lodgement.”
In response – seemingly unaware that less than 24 hours later 140 candidate nominations forms would fail to meet the noon lodgement deadline – several executive members discuss changing the group’s profile photo to that of “Wilson”, a volleyball that kept Tom Hanks’ Chuck Noland sane when stranded on an island in the movie “Castaway”.
It is understood the move was to honour the work of party official Wilson Chessell.
“In honour of Wilson’s amazing work let’s show him same the appreciation that Tom Hanks showed to his Wilson,” Mr Mannoun wrote.
“We thank you for your service Wilson and Team.
“I hope you like the group icon.”
Several members responded with a “lol” and a “hahahaha”.
By the next day, after the now sacked State Director Richard Shields confirmed media reports at how “we were unable to nominate in all of the local government areas that were put forward not all candidates has been successfully nominated, the “Wilson” icon was removed, and the finger-pointing begun.
“I don’t understand why the Blue Mountains missed out when they were first to go through. I’m just gutted,” one wrote, with Mr Dore calling for an immediate state executive meeting “to understand what went wrong”.
“A number of Members of State Executive are responsible for this fiasco – You know who you are. You need to resign immediately,” executive member Naji Najjar wrote, as Ms Betts declared it “disgraceful” how the missed candidates had not been contacted by “HQ”.
“They heard via the media that their careers have been trashed,” she wrote.
“Please please can someone be tasked to pick up the phone to these people. !!!!”
Mr Harwin, who is facing calls for his resignation, had been supported by Mr Speakman, who declared on Monday how he had not seen “any evidence” that implicated Mr Harwin “in the mistakes that were made last week with the nomination process.”
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