Warringah, federal election: Anger over Katherine Deves selection pushes local Liberal party members to volunteer in another seat

Liberal Party members in Warringah, angry about not being able to choose a candidate, are refusing to work on Katherine Deves’ campaign and volunteering in another electorate instead.

Angry members of the Liberal party, upset that Katherine Deves was a “captain’s pick” to run in Warringah at the federal election, are refusing to volunteer as campaign workers.

They are offering their services in another electorate instead.

As a result, local party officials are still trying to sign up more than a 100 volunteers to work on Ms Deves’ campaign and to staff polling booths with just 19 days to the vote.

Members from some Liberal branches in Warringah, including the Freshwater and Condamine branches, are instead volunteering to get conservative Liberal Simon Kennedy elected in the northern Sydney seat of Bennelong.

The issue comes as the Liberals have drafted in experienced media and communications consultant Mark Westfield — and a former senior editor at The Australian — to guide her campaign.

Katherine Deves, the Liberal candidate for Warringah, was at a campaign rally for candidates in the Sydney ares, hosted by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday. Picture: Jason Edwards

The local party members are snubbing Ms Deves because they are still upset that rank and file party members did not get the chance to pick a candidate to take on independent MP Zali Steggall, due to an ugly internal party brawl over preselections.

The Warringah party members also won’t volunteer to campaign for Liberal Trent Zimmerman in his bid to retain the neighbouring set of North Sydney because he was also a “captain’s pick”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison chose Katherine Deves (centre), pictured at a campaign rally at Sydney Olympic Park on Sunday, as the Liberal candidate for Warringah. Picture: News Corp

Mr Kennedy, a right-aligned candidate, was chosen by a vote of party members in Bennelong.

Last month, a special Liberal Party committee, which included Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, chose candidates in about a dozen NSW seats — including Warringah and North Sydney.

The candidate for Bennelong Simon Kennedy making his campaign debut at Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club last month. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard

Ms Deves, who is a co-founder of the Save Women’s Sport lobby group, was endorsed ahead of Lincoln Parker, an international defence expert from Queenscliff and David Brady, a disability advocate and president of the Liberal’s Waverton/Wollstonecraft branch.

A Liberal party branch member told the Manly Daily on Monday that anger about the “captain’s pick” was still raw.

“They need about 200 volunteers in the section of Warringah north of The Spit Bridge,” the member said.

“But they’ve only got abut 100 at most, so far.

Katherine Deves talking to a voter in Warringah. Picture: Katherine Deves - Liberal Candidate for Warringah/Facebook

“Some local members won't volunteer for the Warringah candidate. They’ll work in Bennelong though because Simon Kennedy was preselected using the correct process.”

Another senior Warringah Liberal source said while some party members were working in other electorates, “others were stepping up to fill the void” in Warringah.

The campaign news comes as sitting independent MP Zali Steggall was an “unbackable” favourite, according to a betting company.

“Steggall is an unbackable $1.05 to retain her seat,” Sportsbet said on Monday.

Ms Deves was given odds of $8.50 to win the seat.”