Liberal Party members to decide fate of Menzies MP Kevin Andrews at March preselection
The fate of veteran Liberal MP Kevin Andrews will be decided next month, as his supporters decide to abandon plans for a party crisis meeting to cancel the divisive early preselection process.
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A challenge to veteran federal Liberal MP Kevin Andrews will be fought out next month after his supporters abandoned plans to scrap the preselection and blast out the party’s powerful governing committee.
Victorian Liberal state president Robert Clark has been pushing for early preselections of all sitting federal MPs — well ahead of the next election expected later next year — despite their opposition.
When applications closed last month, Mr Andrews was the only MP challenged, with barrister and former soldier Keith Wolahan trying to claim the eastern suburbs seat of Menzies.
Mr Andrews’ supporters had circulated several petitions to force a special Liberal state council meeting, which the party’s administrative committee last week decided would be held on March 1.
But the Herald Sun understands they are now intending to revoke their push for the crisis meeting, accusing the committee of behaving “illegitimately and unconstitutionally”.
A constitutional vote at the meeting would have required a two-thirds majority for the early preselection process to be scrapped, and was considered unlikely to succeed.
A simple majority would have been needed for Mr Andrews’ backers to pass a no-confidence motion in the administrative committee, but some of its members had indicated that they would not resign even if that motion succeeded.
It is understood a letter is now being circulated for signatures to support cancelling the state council meeting, which accuses the administrative committee of acting “without any constitutional authority whatsoever”.
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“We see no point in spending the party’s time and money holding what can only be called a mockery of a state council on the administrative committee’s terms, which will resolve nothing,” it says.
The preselection meeting to decide the fate of Mr Andrews — a former Howard government minister who has held the seat of Menzies since 1991 — will now be held on March 22.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged members to re-endorse him, describing him in a letter as offering “unrivalled experience and expertise” to his parliamentary team.
The factional action sets the stage for a challenge to Mr Clark and his administrative committee allies at the party’s annual state council meeting in May.