‘Let us down so cruelly’: NSW Libs members sue own party over paperwork bungle

NSW Liberal Party devotees say it pains them to sue their party over a paperwork bugle that left council candidates off tickets.

Liberal Party devotees are questioning how they were let down “so cruelly” as they sue the party over not lodging candidate nomination forms.

NSW Liberal Party members have launched a class action against the party after a “monumental stuff-up” resulted in about 150 members not being nominated for council elections last year.

The party had about 440 members who were supposed to be nominated, but only nomination forms for 281 candidates were lodged before the electoral commission deadline.

In a statement via their lawyers, two men unable to run for council due to the bungle say: “How could the Liberal Party have let us and our fellow candidates down so cruelly?”

Peter Dutton installed new leadership to the NSW party head office after the fiasco. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer

“We have been loyal members of the Liberal Party,” John Moores and Paul Paynter said in the joint statement.

“Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined that we would be bringing a case against the party.”

Lawyer George Newhouse has filed the class action and will argue the Liberal Party was negligent and breached contract for failing to process the members’ nominations.

“The Liberal Party told us they would handle our nominations with the NSW Electoral Commission,” Mr Moores and Mr Paynter said.

“This turned out to be fatal for dozens of people who, like us, were prepared to stand up for their community and Liberal Party values.”

John Moores says his political party let him down. Picture: Supplied

Paul Paynter’s paperwork also was not filed by the Liberal Party. Picture: Supplied

Eight NSW councils had no Liberals on the ticket in September because of the administrative error.

Peter Dutton installed a new leadership team to the party head office, but Mr Moores and Mr Paynter say they are still waiting for an apology, explanation and resolution.

Mr Moores missed out recontesting his seat on the Cessnock City Council in the Hunter Valley.

“The events of August 2024 and the council elections of September 2024 were an incredible disappointment to me personally and to all those who had worked so hard to have me and my colleagues elected. Serving the community was my whole life” Mr Moores said in the statement.

Former NSW Liberal Party president Don Harwin was sacked over an administrative error that resulted in about 150 party members not being nominated in last year’s council elections. Picture: NewsWire / David Swift

Mr Moores says he is at pains to launch legal action against the party.

“It was also highly embarrassing to me and my family. People would stop me in the street, including when I was out shopping. I had to explain why a professional political party got it so wrong,” he said.

“I was hoping to receive my community’s support for another four years on council. Serving that community was an important part of my life, as it was for all the party’s other candidates.”

The paperwork was not filed because of an administrative error by the NSW Liberal Party state executive, which failed to lodge nominations on time for scores of members across 16 councils.

Former NSW Liberal Party state director Richard Shields was also sacked from his job over the debacle. Picture: John Appleyard

Cessnock, Wollongong, Lane Cove, Camden, Campbelltown and the Blue Mountains were left without Liberal candidates in the local government elections.

The Nine newspapers reported staff responsible for submitting the nominations became overwhelmed by the number of forms that needed to be filed and failed to submit them all on time.

The mishap sparked a federal takeover of the NSW party branch.

Former NSW Liberal Party state director Richard Shields was sacked over the debacle.

The party’s state president Don Harwin said in a statement its executive unanimously decided to terminate Mr Shields’ employment.

“The state director was given the opportunity to explain the circumstances to the state executive,” he said in a statement.

“This failure to meet such a fundamental responsibility has rendered his position untenable.

“As a result, the state executive has unanimously resolved to terminate the state director’s employment with immediate effect.”

Mr Dutton forced a 10-month takeover of the NSW branch. Picture Thomas Lisson / NewsWire

Mr Harwin was walked out the door soon after and the federal division forced a 10-month takeover of the party.

Mr Dutton appointed NSW minister Rob Stokes, ex-Victorian senator Richard Alston, and former Victorian treasurer Robert Stockdale to a three-member committee to replace Mr Harwin.

A statement from the federal branch said the spectacular local council failure led to concerns the brand was ill-prepared to “fight (in) the upcoming federal election”.

“We owe it to our thousands of members in the state to address the challenges within the organisational wing of the NSW division,” the statement read.

“More importantly, we owe it to the millions of Australians who are relying on the Liberal Party to return Australia to good government after the next election to get our house in order.”

The class action is scheduled to be called in court on May 29.