Hollie Hughes turfed from winnable Senate spot in NSW Liberal preselection

NSW Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes has been booted from a winnable spot on the party’s Senate ticket at the next election after losing a preselection battle to new conservative candidate Jessica Collins.

The result comes as a blow for Hughes, from the party’s centre-right, who was recently appointed the Coalition’s assistant shadow minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and mental health. She joined the Senate in 2019 after seeking preselection for several years.

Hollie Hughes has been turfed from a winnable spot on the Liberals’ NSW Senate ticket at the next election.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

But Saturday’s preselection, held in Sydney to determine the NSW Senate ticket for the next election, was a victory for Liberal assistant housing spokesman Andrew Bragg, who is aligned with the party’s moderate faction, and who took the top spot.

Collins is aligned with conservative forces in the NSW Liberal Party, including shadow treasurer Angus Taylor. She had previously been defeated in preselection battles for the seat of North Sydney as well as the casual vacancy created by the retirement of former foreign minister Marise Payne, which went to Dave Sharma. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is also from the conservative faction.

Collins is a research fellow at the Lowy Institute think-tank, working on its Pacific Islands program. Her candidate brochure featured written endorsements from Taylor as well as former treasurer and ex-ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey.

Hughes’ defeat is a blow for the centre-right faction of the Liberal Party in NSW, which is led by powerbroker Alex Hawke. It has seen its influence diminish since Scott Morrison, also aligned with the centre-right, lost the prime ministership in 2022.

One leading moderate, who asked not be named so they could discuss the vote freely, denied there was a factional deal done between the moderates and conservatives to oust the centre-right-aligned Hughes.

However, until the 2022 federal election, the moderates and the conservatives in NSW had regularly worked closely in preselections to exclude centre-right candidates and parcel out safe seats among themselves.

Since then, the conservative faction has been split into several groups, but Collins’ victory suggests divisions have begun to heal and they are working in a more organised fashion.

A member of the centre-right faction, who also asked not to be named, said that Hughes had attracted about 66 per cent of the moderate vote once Bragg was elected, but she had needed 75 per cent to win. Low turnout was also a factor, with many of Hughes’ delegates living in regional areas and some unable to attend on the day.

“This wasn’t a factional stitch-up, but this is being seen as a big win for Angus Taylor, who provided a reference for Collins against two sitting colleagues, who are both annoyed,” they said.

“He put his neck out to back a challenger, which just isn’t done. It has pulled off for him, but even in NSW, this is not normal behaviour.”

Saturday’s result also continues a trend of the Liberals taking on their own women – sitting parliamentarians Anne Ruston, Sussan Ley and Melissa McIntosh have all faced threats or been demoted in preselection battles. However, in this instance, Hughes is being replaced by a woman.

Hughes, whose son has autism, has been outspoken in her advocacy for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. She has also been a controversial figure in the Senate, known for making fiery contributions to debate.

Bragg’s successful bid for the top spot underscores the strength of the moderate faction in NSW, which has enjoyed a series of victories including the surprise installation of Sharma last year.

The Liberal Party Senate vote works on a preferential system. After each round, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated. Bragg won with 196 votes in the first round of voting, followed by Collins on 146, Hughes on 145, and a fourth candidate, conservative-aligned Lincoln Parker, on 51.

When Parker was eliminated after the second round, his votes flowed to Collins. She won the third round of voting against Hughes, 191 to 167.

Bragg said he was “very pleased to lead a ticket, and our internal democratic processes are the envy of other parties and movements”.

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