The Sauce: Frontrunners to fill Jim Molan’s senate vacancy

Angry Libs are asking why the party’s senate selection process to fill the vacancy created by Jim Molan’s death has taken so long — as the potential candidates emerge. Read this and more in The Sauce political column.

Angry Liberals are asking why the party’s senate selection process to fill the vacancy created after the death of Jim Molan in January has taken so long.

According to multiple Liberal sources, former party president Maria Kovacic indicated at a state executive meeting held on March 31 that a fax ballot on the timeline for the Senate selection would occur in the next couple of days.

This occurred after it was decided to delay the process until after the March state election.

Instead, it took another two weeks, during which time party members began hearing Kovacic herself might become a prospective candidate.

Kovacic has since been confirmed as a candidate, having formally resigned from the party presidency last week to vie for the position.

She is up against former NSW minister Andrew Constance.

Other candidates that were tipped to have nominated include former Warringah candidate Katherine Deves, James Brown — who happens to be the former partner of teacher and author Daisy Turnbull — and disability campaigner David Brady.

As a candidate, Kovacic is not permitted to speak to the media under party rules.

However, a source close to the Western Sydney businesswoman said she was not involved in the timetable or ballot timing.

“She purely approved the issue of the ballot, which she did the same day it was sent to her,” the source said.

“She went away on April 3 overseas and came back on the 11th. The NSW Liberal Party state director (Chris Stone) was on leave from the 8th.

“It was her understanding the preselection was always going to be held on the last weekend in May regardless of when the ballot was issued.”

ARGY-BARGY OFF MENU AT DOM’S LUNCH

Former premier Dominic Perrottet looked not to have a care in the world as he sat down for what ended up being a three-hour lunch at Felix French restaurant in the city on Friday.

Perrottet was spotted at the retro Merivale eatery moments after the Liberal Party ballot to elect his replacement, with former attorney general Mark Speakman emerging the victor.

As Speakman later addressed journalists at a media conference, Mr Perrottet hotfooted it out of Parliament House to the Ash St eatery, where he was seen sampling the traditional French cuisine menu in the company of two others before being offered a drink by two businessman on his way out.

Perrottet is understood to have spoken to his Liberal peers about “unity” during his formal resignation as leader ahead of the ballot — something that clearly got lost in the argy-bargy that followed over who should become deputy Liberal leader.

Backers of Upper House MLC Natalie Ward want the party to change the rules to enable her to take up a post which is traditionally filled by a Lower House MP.

Dominic Perrottet and a well wisher as he leaves lunch at Brasserie Felix. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Ward as deputy was part of a unity ticket that had been agreed to by MPs in the moderate, centre-right and right wing factions, but clearly not all MPs were on board.

Several Lower House MPs are rallying against the proposed rule change that needs to happen for Ward to get up — and given a change needs two-thirds of MPs to agree, the former roads minister is on shaky ground.

You can bet the factional powerbrokers will be hitting the phones this week to sort out the mess.

As he tucked into what may have been “Saumon poêlé” – pan-roasted King Salmon, blue lentils, autumn vegetables — Perrottet was probably thinking “no longer my problem”.

BOOT CAMP

Former Labor premiers Bob Carr, Morris Iemma and Barry Unsworth returned to where it all began last week as they put the Minns government MPs through a political “boot camp”.

Along with passing on sage advice on how to be a successful pollie, the two-day sessions in Parliament House also involved some basics such as setting up an office.

While Carr and Iemma were enlisted to run the sessions, The Sauce was told Unsworth delivered an address to MPs in the Strangers’ Dining Room over lunch.

The advice Iemma passed on included not to “settle in” to the hiatus that followed each parliamentary session and to “keep campaigning”.

“After each parliamentary session, you need to get back out into the electorate and you need to keep campaigning,” Iemma told The Sauce.

“The main theme for me was the campaigning for re-election in 2027 should have started last weekend.”

SENATE QUESTION

Angry Liberals are asking why the party’s senate selection process to fill the vacancy created after the death of Jim Molan in January has taken so long.

According to multiple Liberal sources, former party president Maria Kovacic indicated at a state executive meeting held on March 31 that a fax ballot on the timeline for the Senate selection would occur in the next couple of days.

This occurred after it was decided to delay the process until after the March state election.

Instead, it took another two weeks, during which time party members began hearing Kovacic herself might become a prospective candidate.

Kovacic has since been confirmed as a candidate, having formally resigned from the party presidency last week to vie for the position.

She is up against former NSW minister Andrew Constance.

Other candidates that were tipped to have nominated include former Warringah candidate Katherine Deves, James Brown — who happens to be the former partner of teacher and author Daisy Turnbull — and disability campaigner David Brady.

As a candidate, Kovacic is not permitted to speak to the media under party rules.

However, a source close to the Western Sydney businesswoman said she was not involved in the timetable or ballot timing.

“She purely approved the issue of the ballot, which she did the same day it was sent to her,” the source said.

“She went away on April 3 overseas and came back on the 11th. The NSW Liberal Party state director (Chris Stone) was on leave from the 8th.

“It was her understanding the preselection was always going to be held on the last weekend in May regardless of when the ballot was issued.”

PRESIDENT TONY

Liberal members are again floating the prospect of former prime minister Tony Abbott taking up the vacated party president role.

Abbott’s name did the rounds last year after veteran Liberal Philip Ruddock left the post he held since 2018.

Instead, Western Sydney businesswoman Maria Kovacic was elected to the role.

But with Kovacic now having ditched the job after seven months to have a crack at the Senate — yes, Abbott’s name was floated for that too — the leaderless Libs now want the ex-Warringah MP to consider taking up the role.

“The party needs a hero,” one Liberal said.

SPOTTED

Former health Minister Brad Hazzard walking along Anderson Street in Chatswood about 10pm.

Had he just been to the Don McLean concert at The Concourse?

“Ahhh. Yes. I was in Chatswood. I thought incognito,” he told The Sauce. “But for a movie and dinner with a friend”.

Hazzard said he was unaware McLean had been in town, but would have been there had he known.

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