Former PM Tony Abbott to Liberal powerbrokers: ‘Your time is up’

WARRINGAH MP Tony Abbott has championed a motion put forward by northern beaches Liberals as a death knell to the party’s powerbrokers.

Tony Abbott speaks to the media after NSW Liberals endorsed The Warringah Motion at the Liberal Convention in Rosehill Racecourse on Sunday. Picture: Hollie Adams.

• Defiant Abbott vows to keep speaking his mind on federal policy
• Warringah Liberals lead push for preselection plebiscites

TONY Abbott has a simple message for the Liberal Party powerbrokers after a motion to give grassroots members more of a say was passed: “Your time is up.”

The former prime minister told the Manly Daily he was “delighted” a push led by his Warringah federal electoral conference to give each Liberal member a say on their election candidate was voted in on Sunday.

The “Warringah Motion” — passed at a special party reform convention held at Rosehill Racecourse — means plebiscites will now decide candidates. About 90 people are believed to have previously picked candidates in the Mackellar and Warringah electorates — half of whom were local.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former prime minister Tony Abbott speak during the NSW Liberal convention, at Rosehill Racecourse. Picture: Dan Himbrechts.

The other half of preselectors had come from the party’s head office. Now about 800 locals will vote for a candidate in each seat.

For the Senate, each NSW Liberal Party member would vote for candidates, increasing from the 140-odd who currently decide.

“It says (to powerbrokers) your time is up,” Mr Abbott said. “Don’t think that you can go on manipulating and machinating because 500 people are a lot harder to control than 50.”

Meanwhile, the head of the Liberal Party’s democratic reform movement, Walter Villatora, said the issue had transcended factions.

Mr Villatora, president of the Warringah federal electoral conference, said: “This weekend has put the prime minister and former PM on a unity ticket to back the membership of the Liberal rank-and-file,” he said.

Walter Villatora heading to the Liberal convention at Rosehill Racecourse.

“This will re-energise the base and put us in the best possible position to win the state and federal elections.”

While both sides may have agreed on plebiscites one senior Liberal Party member told the Manly Daily any long-term factional truce was highly unlikely.

“The idea that Tony and Malcolm — who have not liked each other for 40 years — are all of a sudden going to like each other ... it is ridiculous,” the source said.

“When it comes to those two guys, I don’t see any way out of it.”

Mr Turnbull did not answer specific questions when asked by the Manly Daily but in a speech at the convention on Saturday told the party faithful he had long supported all Liberals having a direct say.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former prime minister Tony Abbott speak during the NSW Liberal Party convention, at Rosehill Racecourse Picture: Dan Himbrechts.

Mr Abbott did not directly address any ceasefire with Mr Turnbull and also declined to address any future political aspirations.

“It is not about me, it is about a better party and a better country,” he said.

“Malcolm and I had a conversation last week about democratisation of the party and when it comes to the principle, he was absolutely on side.”

The party’s NSW division is the last in Australia to adopt plebiscite preselections. The plans will now go before the state executive, which is expected to draft a preselection policy.