Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis names and shames ‘bully’

CHANNEL 9 star Chris Uhlmann threw some serious shade at the Liberal Party this morning after it was rocked by more damaging claims.

CHANNEL 9 star Chris Uhlmann threw some serious shade at the Liberal Party this morning as it digested damaging new claims from outgoing MP Ann Sudmalis.

Ms Sudmalis will quit at the next election, dealing another blow to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s attempts to get more women into parliament.

Yesterday she used parliamentary privilege to name and shame Liberal state MP Gareth Ward for what she called his “narcissistic revenge” against her.

“Bullying, betrayal and backstabbing have been the hallmarks of one of my state Liberal colleagues Gareth Ward over the past six and a half years,” Ms Sudmalis said.

Ann Sudmalis made her statement in the House of Representatives chamber. Picture: Kym Smith

Speaking to Today this morning, Nine’s political editor Chris Uhlmann said the Liberals were in denial, and implied many of the men in parliament did not get there on merit.

“The Liberal Party has a serious problem with women. It seems to be in denial about it,” he said.

“Only less than a quarter of the Coalition’s ranks are women at the moment, and that’s going to be much less after the next election.”

Ms Sudmalis joins fellow MPs Julia Banks and Jane Prentice in exiting parliament after the next election, though Ms Prentice isn’t going willingly - she was dumped in the preselection process.

On top of that, Mr Uhlmann said Senator Lucy Gichuhi had been bumped down to an “unwinnable” position on the Liberals’ South Australia ticket.

“It is unrepresentative and it’s in denial,” Mr Uhlmann said of the party.

“One of the things the Coalition says is that they don’t want quotas, that people should be elected on merit. Well, you look around the benches in parliament, and really? Do you honestly believe that every single man there is there on merit, or that there couldn’t be a woman who would do the job just as well or even better?

“The Liberal Party, if it wants to be a party of the future, needs to look at its ranks in the present, realise there’s a problem and try to do something about it.”

"The Coalition says that they don't want quotas, that people should be elected on merit. Well, you look around the benches in Parliament and really, do you honestly believe that every single man is there on merit?" #9Today pic.twitter.com/LWieT3aX3W

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) September 17, 2018

Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke about the allegations with broadcaster Ray Hadley this morning and said “clearly there has been a couple of issues down there”.

“Sometimes state members of parliament stick their noses into federal politics and it’s not a particularly good look,” Mr Morrison told the 2GB host.

Referring to the way his area conducted politics, Mr Morrison said his Sutherland Shire region “try to do it together”.

“We all just work together but clearly there’s been a couple of issues down there,” he said.

“I wish her well... we’ll pick another great candidate down there...We’ll just get on with that, I’ll leave those issues to party organisation.”

Yesterday Ms Sudmalis described three examples of “sour grapes”: preselection candidate Andrew Guile, Mr Ward’s manipulation of people and numbers, and local newspaper editor John Hanscombe’s reporting.

“I have decided that enough is enough,” Ms Sudmalis said.

“After seeing the betrayal of amazing and dedicated committee members, who are now being contacted by the new committee members asking for help, the whole scenario is pathetic.”

While Mr Morrison admitted he wanted more women in the Liberal party, he said “getting the best candidate” for the job was more important.

“We don’t want any mischief, we just want to get on with the job,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Ward has issued a strong defence this morning, denying Ms Sudmalis’s claims to ABC’s AM.

“I can absolutely, categorically rule that out, and anyone who believes that is true should say so publicly,” he said. “That is just not true.”

Gareth Ward challenged Ms Sudmalis to make the claims outside of parliament.

Mr Morrison tried to persuade the marginal seat-holder not to quit politics, but Ms Sudmalis knocked back his request and decided to bow out.

She holds the southern NSW coastal seat of Gilmore with a margin of just 0.7 per cent and has faced a preselection challenge from local real estate agent Grant Schultz.

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review yesterday, Ms Sudmalis said branch stacking and undermining at a local level prompted her decision.

“This is absolutely not about Scott, he’s a very dear friend and he’s a very good man,” she told the AFR.

“I believe he can bring our party together, he’s a visionary, Scott is the man who can pull this country forward.”

While Ms Sudmalis was confident she could win preselection, the extent of branch stacking would make her job difficult, she said.

“I can’t work with the team there anymore, they don’t know the electorate well, they don’t know how to campaign.”

Ann Sudmalis has confirmed she will not contest the next election. Picture Kym Smith

Labor MP Stephen Jones, whose seat of Whitlam borders the Gilmore electorate, said Ms Sudmalis had given in to factional infighting.

“Ms Sudmalis has been caught up in Liberal factional warfare on the South Coast. To her credit she has been batting on, but it now appears that her heart is no longer in it,” Mr Jones tweeted on Monday.

The MP’s possible exit comes as the Liberal Party faces a backlash over its lack of commitment to preselecting women.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison may now lose another female MP. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Mr Morrison backed a female candidate to run in the seat of Wentworth, vacated by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, but the preselection was won by former diplomat Dave Sharma.

AAP understands only six women have been preselected for safe Liberal seats across the country.

Fighting for her political future earlier this year, Ms Sudmalis said the government was doing a “damn good” job and there was no reason to knock her off.

“We’ve got a great horse — the government’s doing a phenomenal job — so why flick the jockey off? That’s my words to my preselectors.”

Mr Morrison stood beside Ms Sudmalis to offer his full support.

“Ann has demonstrated that she is the right candidate here, because she has won this seat in tough contests,” he said at the time.

“If it wasn’t for Ann at the last election, Bill Shorten would now be prime minister.”

Today’s blow to Mr Morrison comes on the back of Victorian MP Julia Banks also deciding not to contest the next election.