Peta Credlin: Two states proving why it’s not easy being a Liberal

It’s not easy being a Liberal – in addition to the catastrophic federal loss, there’s yet more suicidally self-destructive behaviour at state level, writes Peta Credlin.

It’s not easy being a Liberal at the moment, is it? In addition to the party’s catastrophic federal loss, there’s yet more suicidally self-destructive behaviour from a party that’s supposed to believe in personal freedom and respect for every individual.

This week, the party effectively sacked the two former federal presidents who were leading the intervention into a NSW division so incompetent that it had failed to lodge local government nominations in time. With the division under factional control, some 5000 NSW Liberals had quit the party, some 500 people had been expelled or had their membership refused, and no new branches had been created in almost a decade.

Alan Stockdale and Richard Alston had all-but-finished a draft new constitution that would have ended the ability of branches to veto new members, ended the ability of conferences to veto new branches, and allowed all financial members to speak and vote at state council meetings and preselections.

Richard Alston (left) and Alan Stockdale. Picture: Supplied

Stockdale and Alston have at least managed to get the party to distribute their proposed draft to all rank-and-file members in a bid to stop backsliding by the new faction-friendly intervention committee headed by former premier Nick Greiner.

Long suffering members who’ve been expected for years to “turn up, pay up, and shut up” can but hope it all just doesn’t get redrafted to entrench the factionalism that’s killing the Liberals.

John Pesutto. Picture: ABC

And then, down in Victoria, the Liberal Party that’s been in opposition for the best part of 25 years, has effectively set itself up as bank because it’s so scared of a by-election. And here I am thinking that fighting elections is what political parties exist to do?

What a shocking precedent – John Pesutto’s mates on the party’s administrative committee bailing him out with a $1.5m “loan” that everyone knows he will never repay.

It’s no wonder members and donors are incensed and threatening to walk away ahead of next year’s “must win” state election.

Imagine if a conservative male Liberal had defamed and expelled a progressive female only to be found by a court to have wronged her? They would have been hounded out of the parliament, let alone had his legal expenses covered by the party.

All Moira Deeming ever wanted was an apology. Even now, she’s still never got one. And yet the bloke who the Federal Court excoriated ends up with a multimillion-dollar payday. Tell me how that is fair?

What also staggers me is that Pesutto plans to fundraise to pay this Liberal loan. So, running events and hitting up donors who should be supporting the party to get rid of a shocking Labor government will instead have their donations diverted to cover his loan.

Rightly, party rank and file are demanding the full terms of the loan are disclosed and every indication is that it will cost president Phil Davis his job at September’s State Council.

As left-wing Liberals renew talk of dumping current leader Brad Battin (who backed this Pesutto loan) for two-time loser Mathew Guy, you’ve got to wonder when on earth this mob will actually take on Labor and save the state rather than continue their endless internal wars?

THUMBS UP

■ The US Supreme Court that has moved to stop the practice of allowing children to change their gender. So why is Australia now lagging behind the UK, US and the rest of the world?

THUMBS DOWN

■Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ speech last week that warns new taxes are on the way because Labor can’t manage money.

Watch Peta on Credlin on Sky News, weeknights at 6pm