Campbelltown, Camden councils: Liberal candidates ousted from running due to paperwork failure

A historic stuff-up by the NSW Liberal Party has unleashed chaos on the 2024 council election and left Campbelltown and Camden candidates “hung out to dry”.

The Liberal Party has bungled its local government election nominations across NSW due to an “administrative error”.

Campbelltown and Camden’s Liberal candidates are almost all out of the council election race, after paperwork required to nominate them failed to be lodged by Liberal’s HQ by the electoral commission’s deadline.

News of the stuff-up broke on Wednesday afternoon and came as a shock to many candidates and existing councillors with no communication received from the party beforehand.

The blunder has affected four Campbelltown councillors, including Mayor George Greiss, and four Camden Council members, including Deputy Mayor Therese Fedeli.

Campbelltown Council impact

Mayor George Greiss had already announced his retirement plans prior to the scandal, but the blunder has dashed the re-election hopes of councillors Marian George, Dr. John Chew, and Riley Munro.

These councillors were left devastated after learning their chance to continue their term was stolen after joining Campbelltown Council in 2021.

Campbelltown Mayor George Greiss had announced his retirement plans prior to the Liberal Party incident. Picture: Supplied

Councillor Riley Munro said he had received “complete silence from the entire HQ” with all of his calls and emails ignored in the aftermath of the party’s announcement.

“They left us out to dry. If it had just been a resource issue, we would have done it ourselves. But they didn’t communicate that to us till they went to the media,” Mr Munro said.

Councillors Riley Munro, Dr John Chew and Marian George have all been forced to stop running in for Campbelltown Council in September elections. Picture: Supplied

He said the councillors had completed everything else required of them for a nomination and were only waiting on a ‘yes’ from Liberals HQ for it to go through.

Mr Munro said “it’s been a tremendous honour” to serve the people of Campbelltown and his only regret was the end due to an “administrative error” that he had no control over.

Camden Council impacts

The situation is similarly dire in Camden where a third of Camden Council councillors have been barred from entering the upcoming election. Liberal candidates have all been forced to withdraw except deputy mayor Therese Fedeli.

Ms Fedeli has been a long-serving council member since 2012 and served as Mayor in 2019. She did not respond to The Daily Telegraph for comment.

Camden Labor Mayor Ashleigh Cagney (left) with former mayor and current Liberal deputy mayor Therese Fedeli (right).

Camden councillors Lara Symkowiak, Usha Dommarju, and Russell Zammit Riley will also lose their positions due to having no way to run for re-election. Picture: Supplied

North Ward councillors Lara Symkowiak and Usha Dommarju, and Russell Zammit from the South ward, will all be missing from the ticket due to the party’s mistake.

Calls for the resignation of senior party leaders including NSW Liberals state director Richard Shields and party president Don Harwin have echoed throughout the party, amid appeals to Peter Dutton for the federal party to step in.