Entrenched dysfunction is poisoning Liberal brand

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet was rightly shamefaced on Thursday in publicly confessing his foolish, offensive choice of costume – a Nazi uniform – for his 21st birthday fancy dress party at his parents’ home 20 years ago. Apologising to the NSW Jewish community, he said there was no excuse for his actions, which reflected his naivety and insensitivity to the pain and trauma experienced by so many because of the vile ideology represented by that costume. We accept his word that the error did not reflect his attitude towards the Jewish community. For its part, that community has shown admirable forbearance and magnanimity. Writing on Saturday, Levi Wolff, Chief Rabbi of Sydney’s Central Synagogue, acknowledges Mr Perrottet’s “steadfast support for the Jewish community and Jewish causes for years’’. He also urges his community to offer the “generosity of spirit granted to each of us’’. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip and chief executive Darren Bark said Mr Perrottet had made a “poor choice … as a young man”, but they appreciated his personally reaching out to the Jewish community.

Mr Perrottet is far from the only person who did something silly as a young person for which he wishes he could turn the clock back. But within the Liberal Party, the matter could be problematic. On Friday, he refused to say whether he disclosed the gaffe on four legally binding statutory declaration forms required to become a Liberal Party candidate. In NSW, Liberal candidates are required to fill out a 27-page “nomination for selection” form as part of their application, enabling party officials to vet whether they are fit and proper people to stand for office.

Ten weeks before a tight election, the greater political concern for the Liberal Party, however, is what the incident shows about its dysfunctional internal culture. That is a serious concern for the nation, especially at a challenging economic time, when the economy, states and local communities are best served by two strong major parties engaged in the battle of policy and ideas. The nation needs an effective centre-right party to advance policies of market economics, lower taxation and government spending, smaller government and incentives, and give a voice to those who value tradition and abhor cancel culture and wokeness. Amid bitter recriminations within the Liberal Party’s NSW division before the federal election in May last year, preselection delays that led to candidates being endorsed just days before polling day were unfair to the public as well as to the candidates. It was a recipe for failure, with candidates unable to be introduced locally in sufficient time.

Mr Perrottet’s untimely woes also stem from internal party problems. As reported, Mr Perrottet was contacted four days ago by Transport Minister David Elliott, who warned the Premier that a photo of him wearing the costume at the party could surface and be used to damage him politically. Mr Elliott’s relationship with the Premier has deteriorated since Mr Perrottet failed to deliver him preselection in his preferred seat, prompting Mr Elliott’s early retirement from politics. Liberal sources remained divided as to the genesis of the information about the uniform and any photograph, and why the culprit has chosen now to divulge it at such a damaging time.

Despite its toxic culture and leadership turnover since Barry O’Farrell was elected in 2011, the party has served NSW well, fostering economic strength, building impressive economic infrastructure and chalking up a lower debt than Victoria, a smaller state. It also applied less restrictive measures than other states, especially Victoria, during the Covid pandemic, encouraged by Mr Perrottet when he was Gladys Berejiklian’s deputy and treasurer.

Voters and the party in other states have paid a high price for Liberal Party dysfunction, most recently in Victoria where the opposition failed to make headway against Daniel Andrews in November. That was despite a series of accountability scandals, the longest Covid lockdown in the world, with the possible exception of China, high taxes and rampant political correctness. In Western Australia in March 2021, a longtime Liberal stronghold, the party suffered a devastating result at the hands of pugnacious Labor Premier Mark McGowan. It was reduced to just two seats against Mr McGowan’s 53. In Queensland, LNP Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has steadied the ship since 2020 when the party was trumped by Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Before that election, former LNP leader Deb Frecklington was undermined by party infighting. And in South Australia last year, the competent first-term government of Steven Marshall was undone by a poor campaign and the formidable marketing skills of the ALP. Losing NSW, its only mainland stronghold, would be a disaster for the Liberal brand.

In their federal election post mortem, Brian Loughnane and Jane Hume noted the need to re-establish a strong grassroots presence that allows volunteers and candidates to regrow the base. That applies as much in NSW as anywhere. So does rediscovering a sense of unity and purpose.