Factions leave stricken Libs ‘near extinction’

There has been a flurry of discussions about whether to push senior figures out of the party since the withering report was released

While the report did not name individuals, there has been intense focus on the roles played within the party by current upper house MPs Peter Collier (pictured) and Nick Goiran.

Several arms of Western Australia’s stricken Liberal Party have begun contemplating whether to move expulsion motions against key party figures in the wake of a damning review of the party’s abysmal March election result.

The scathing report, by party stalwart Danielle Blain and Perth lawyer Mark Trowell QC, found that party factions had pushed the party to “near extinction”.

The “corruption” of party mechanisms and the “unethical and underhand” conduct by some unnamed party MPs were listed among a host of factors that had led to the party’s current ­circumstances.

The report includes 66 recommendations, including a plebiscite model for preselections and targeted 40 per cent minimum ­female representation, as part of a plan to turn around the fortunes that saw the party win just two of 59 lower house seats in the March election.

Party sources said there had been a flurry of discussions since the report was released over whether to force senior party figures out of the party.

While the report did not name individuals, there has been intense focus on the roles played within the party by current upper house MPs Peter Collier and Nick Goiran. Both men have previously said their influence over the party has been overstated.

Mr Collier, Mr Goiran, former federal finance minister Mathias Cormann and outgoing Liberal Party WA president Faye Duda were all members of a WhatsApp chat group that called themselves The Clan.

WA Upper House MP Nick Goiran. Picture: Ian Munroe

The group’s messages, leaked to The Australian, showed members discussing how they ­controlled and influenced the inner workings of the organisation and determined key party positions.

Under the Liberal Party constitution, only party units such as branches or committees – rather than individual members – can move to expel members.

The state’s Liberal Women’s Council has been touted as one body that may go down that path, given several prominent members of the LWC were among those ridiculed in WhatsApp messages sent by The Clan.

Branches controlled by a loose faction calling themselves the ABC – for Anyone But Collier – may also move an expulsion ­motion, but such a step could spark factional resistance within the party.

One of the ridiculed women, Lorraine Allchurch, told The Australian before the review was released that she would be asking Liberal leader David Honey to call for the resignations of the powerbrokers based on those messages.

Deputy Liberal leader Libby Mettam on Sunday told The Australian that the party needed to overhaul its preselection process and would benefit from a minimum target of female participation. “We absolutely have to look at implementing some if not all of the recommendations,” she said.

Beyond then-leader Zak Kirkup, the report did not identify by name any individuals it believed were behind the conduct.

Among those who went unnamed was one person who appeared before the review committee who was “generally unpleasant and disrespectful”.

There are some concerns in the party that the timing of the review’s release – one day after a deadline to move constitutional amendments closed – could delay by a year the consideration and implementation of the review’s recommendations.

WA Premier Mark McGowan, meanwhile, said the Liberals should take action to remove the likes of Mr Collier and Mr Goiran.

“While they are still in the parliament, the Liberal Party cannot and should not be elected,” he said.

“They are as we have seen not representative, they treat politics as a game and politics as a joke.”