NSW Liberal party members push for community plebiscites to win back Federal, State seats

A bold plan to introduce community plebiscites to preselect candidates in battleground seats has sparked mixed opinions among local Liberal Party members. Have your say in our poll.

Katherine Deves and Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott pictured on polling day at the last Federal Election. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Community plebiscites are being considered by local Liberal Party branch members in a major shakeup to contentious preselection processes.

Branch members in the electorate of North Sydney and Warringah are discussing using a similar voting method used in American politics that would allow party members and the wider community – including residents not registered in the party – to have a say on who should be selected as their local Liberal candidate.

It is understood some branch members have expressed initial support for the idea that would involve replacing the current model in which preselections are determined by a combination of state executive members and higher-ranking local branch members.

They are also pushing for preselections to be finalised at least 12 months from the next federal election date to avoid a repeat of 2022, in which several key electorates had yet to have candidates finalised weeks out from polling day.

The move comes after independent Federal MP Zali Steggall secured a second term in the Federal seat of Warringah at the last election in 2022, while independent candidate Kylea Tink secured the long-held Liberal seat of North Sydney.

The plebiscite model has been discussed by members in seats including North Sydney.

The idea for a plebiscite preselections has previously been backed by former Liberal Warringah MP Tony Abbott who in 2020 said the party for too long had been an “insiders club” and a “closed shop”.

One branch member in North Sydney told this publication the community plebiscite model could bolster the party’s chances of re-election by broadening the party’s voter base.

“Candidates have tended to be picked by factions of the Liberal party and one of the lessons from the last election is we have to consider news of doing things,” he said.

“It would make it more democratic and would get people interested in politics who aren’t necessarily members.

“By involving the wider community it would build more of a local base and could be a way of attracting new members.

Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman lost his seat of North Sydney at the last election.

“If people think they can have a say on who their local candidate is, they’d be more likely to vote for the Liberals.”

The proposal has drawn criticism from some members within the party who have questioned the feasibility of opening up the preselection process to the wider community.

The community plebiscite model would also require fundamental changes to the party’s constitution that could take years to implement, broad consultation among individual branches, consideration by state council, and approval from the party’s constitutional standing committee.

Both North Sydney and Warringah were won by independent candidates at the last federal election.

One party member asked “would Labor or Teal voters also be able to vote” and questioned whether a “vetting process” would have to be introduced.

But Pat Daley – a long term Liberal party member in the seat of Warringah – believes the model had merit and could be a way of countering effective grassroots campaigns used by independent candidates at state and federal levels.

“Too often candidates that are thrown up are factional hacks that come through the machine and we need people truly representing Liberal values,” he said.

“Something has to give – we have to learn how to involve the community and not just what focus groups think. There has got to be greater party engagement.

“It’s the only chance we have of fighting back against the teals.”