The Sauce: Liberal Party bosses in firing line over NSW preselection delays

Senior right-faction NSW Liberals are pushing to have party chiefs replaced before next year’s state election to avoid a repeat of the federal preselections fiasco.

Senior right-faction NSW Liberals are pushing to have party state director Chris Stone and his deputy replaced before next year’s March state election to avoid a repeat of the federal election candidate fiasco.

With several federal Liberal seats still without endorsed candidates, the party members want to ensure right-faction Premier Dominic Perrottet will not encounter a similar debacle when he tries to secure the NSW Coalition a historic fourth term.

Fingers are being pointed at Liberal Party state director Chris Stone over the NSW preselection debacle. Picture: Lee Hamilton

A senior party member told The Sauce that discussions were under way for a “full house clean-out”, with a shortlist of names already being drafted for the senior officer positions.

While the year-long impasse on federal candidates has been blamed on both Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s right-hand man Immigration Minister Alex Hawke and factional wars — including disputes within the factions themselves — the party source said there was a view that the state director and deputy should be able pull rank, but haven’t.

Liberal Party state director Simon McInnes. Picture: AAP

“There is a shortlist,” the source said. “We are weeks out from an election and there are still seats without endorsed candidates.

“This has jeopardised our chances. After the election, we will seek a resignation. And even if there is a victory, no one can say it’s because of Chris Stone.”

It is understood Perrottet would have to initiate any moves to replace a state director.

As for Stone’s deputy Simon McInnes, it is understood his contract expires around May.

Stone, a former John Howard adviser, declined to comment.

However, a senior left-faction Liberal took up the defence, declaring it was unfair to blame the state director for factional infighting — and also for failing to “control” Hawke.

“The only person that can control or tell Hawke what to do is the Prime Minister,” the source said.

The source also noted that the right faction was split into two camps, and how there were rumblings in the lead-up to the last federal election for Stone to be replaced, “which petered out soon after” the poll.

“While the division and professional staff are focused on the re-election of the Morrison government, some members are more focused on personal and factional squabbles,” the source said.

‘UTTER CHAOS’

It seems morale within the NSW government has plunged after the high of reopening the state on the back of high vaccination rates.

Several gloomy ministers and their staff were last week making comments on how the “wheels have come off” and everyone being “at a low ebb”, with one party operative branding last week as “utter chaos”.

Transport Minister David Elliott and Premier Dominic Perrottet talk about the trains shutdown. Picture: John Grainger

Not unlike the missed texts during the rail shutdown, fuming staff in one ministerial office were alleging they were “ignored for hours” when trying to organise a press conference about the floods.

There also appeared to be miscommunication with federal authorities trying to offer ADF support in the early days.

To top it off, Nationals MP and Deputy Premier Paul Toole allegedly declined a request to become the Minister for Flood Recovery due to the prohibitive volume of work involved.

Instead, his more junior freshly-minted Emergency Services Minister Steph Cook was handed the role, despite already jugging the demands of her portfolio.

The chaos among ministers’ offices has not affected Perrottet, who has largely been spared the disdain from flood-affected communities that has been levelled at Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

New Emergency Services Minister Steph Cook has taken on the extra role of Minister for Flood Recovery. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Having spent nine days visiting flood-ravaged towns and speaking with the homeless in evacuation centres, the Premier cannot be accused of having made a token visit.

Understanding the plight of flood-affected locals, it is understood he plans to spend the upcoming week working out a longer-term recovery plan, including the vexed issue of where and how people can rebuild.

With the Premier back, maybe some order will return to the parliament.

LONG COMMUTE

Motorists driving on the Eastern Distributor on Thursday may have been surprised to see a familiar, beaming face passing by on the side and back of a bus.

It seems former NSW transport minister Andrew Constance has got himself a campaign bus ahead of his bid to try to claim the federal seat of Gilmore — but what was it doing so far from the south coast electorate?

Former transport minister Andrew Constance’s campaign was spotted a long way from home, in the Eastern Distributor in Sydney this week.

The motorist who dialled in the sighting first saw the bus with its hazard lights on at President Ave in Rockdale, where it was seen picking up passengers.

The bus proceeded towards the city, before it turned down College St towards Mrs Macquarie’s Chair.

When asked about the bus, Constance dismissed theories that it was lost or ferrying Liberal staffers, declaring he was helping out a former colleague.

“I’m helping (Transport Minister David) Elliott out,” he said. “It’s on loan as a train replacement bus.”

Must be a new bus route then.

Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor wears the national colours of Ukraine while presenting the Regional Woman of the Year Award to Anna Barwick.

UKRAINE SUPPORT

Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor has been showing her true colours.

Attending the NSW Women Of The Year Awards, the deputy leader of the NSW Nationals turned up wearing the bright blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag.

CRASH CAMPAIGN

Weeks out from a federal election, the former prized blue-ribbon seat of Warringah may soon have a Liberal candidate.

With not all members on board with the endorsement of right-wing candidate Lincoln Parker, the NSW Liberal Party quietly reopened and closed nominations last week to secure two additional nominees.

In a move that has outraged his supporters, Parker will now have to face-off against disability campaigner David Brady and biological sex campaigner Katherine Deves.

It is understood the party is aiming for an April preselection, leaving time for a short campaign.

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