Taylor Martin may be forced to quit NSW Liberal Party after Lucy Wicks texts uncovered

Embattled NSW MP Taylor Martin is under pressure to quit the Liberal Party over a tirade of abusive text ­messages he sent to his ex-girlfriend and former boss.

Embattled MP Taylor Martin is under pressure to quit the Liberal Party or resign from parliament over text ­messages where he called his ex-girlfriend and former boss a “c..t”, a “pig”, a “sicko” and a “f...wit”.

Fresh questions have now been raised about why it took party bosses so long to investigate complaints lodged by former MP Lucy Wicks.

There are now claims that a senior NSW Liberal raised concerns regarding Mr Martin with then-premier Dominic Perrottet’s chief-of-staff last year. This claim is disputed and the chief-of-staff has no record or recollection of any concerns about Mr Martin being raised.

Mr Perrottet was not made aware of any concerns about Mr Martin.

A source close to Ms Wicks said she first sought support from “senior factional colleagues” in October 2021.

NSW MP Taylor Martin with former Federal MP Lucy Wicks.

Mr Martin is in the Liberal Party’s centre-right faction. Factional boss Alex Hawke was unaware a complaint had been lodged until this week and did not know the details of that complaint.

“If complaints are raised on a confidential basis … then those matters are necessarily required to be kept confidential at the request of complainants,” he said.

Centre-right NSW MP Scott Farlow declined to comment.

A senior counsel – understood to be Patricia McDonald SC – has now been appointed to investigate the matter.

Taylor Martin sent a tirade of abusive texts to former Federal MP Lucy Wicks

Ms McDonald was contacted but did not reply.

Mr Martin has apologised “unreservedly” for what he described as “heated words” and welcomed the independent investigation.

Multiple Liberal sources said that regardless of the findings of that investigation, Mr Martin would be unlikely to survive in the party.

One source said Mr Martin’s texts were “unconscionable” and he “cannot stay in public life”.

In the texts, first published by Nine, Mr Taylor called Ms Wicks a “f...ing idiot”, an “absolute c..t of a person” and a “f...ing bitch”.

Mr Martin does not dispute the contents of the messages.

Multiple Liberals described the language used as unacceptable but noted the messages were presented out of context.

Mr Martin said he “sincerely” regretted his language.

“I was young and inexperienced and I found myself involved in a situation that was way beyond me,” he said.

The Daily Telegraph on Monday revealed the tirade of abusive texts and the existence of a relationship between Mr Martin and Ms Wicks.

Liberal leader Mark Speakman said he had spoken with Mr Martin a week ago but declined to say when he had first been aware of the texts.

Liberal deputy leader Natalie Ward said she had personally never heard Mr Martin direct bad language at any woman.