Challenge to Malcolm Turnbull’s authority on Craig Kelly

Factional warriors are planning a preselection challenge to the PM-endorsed Craig Kelly for his Sydney seat.

16/02/2016. Liberal MP Craig Kelly photographed near his electoral office in Sutherland. Britta Campion / The Australian.

Factional warriors are planning to defy Malcolm Turnbull’s authority by pushing ahead with a preselection showdown in Craig Kelly’s safe seat of Hughes in Sydney’s south.

Moderates were last night stepping up plans to run a challenger in the seat and told The Australian it was the only straight factional contest available in the state after Angus Taylor in Hume and NSW senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells were promoted.

The Prime Minister wrote to the Liberal Party’s acting NSW director Simon McInnes on Sunday to endorse Mr Kelly and recommend that he be “re-endorsed as the Liberal candidate”.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott seized on the letter yesterday, warning the emergence of another contender in Hughes would be seen as a challenge to Mr Turnbull’s authority. He said it was “almost inconceivable” there would be a Liberal preselection challenge after Mr Turnbull put his authority on the line to protect Mr Kelly.

“Craig Kelly is an outstanding local MP and a fine contributor to the partyroom in Canberra,” Mr Abbott told The Australian. “Craig took a seat which was touch-and-go and turned it into a safe seat with a margin of 10 per cent. I’m really pleased the Prime Minister has put his personal authority on the line to support Craig.”

The main factional rival to Mr Kelly is moderate Kent Johns, a vice-president of the party who defected from Labor in 2002. A Liberal source said it was likely there would be a “field of candidates” given Mr Kelly was a backbencher without claims to the frontbench. The letter from Mr Turnbull to Mr McInnes was dismissed as merely the obligatory reference given by a prime minister to a sitting MP.

Mr Kelly said yesterday he would be surprised if he was challenged in Hughes. Mr Kelly ­enjoys strong grassroots support in the electorate and some branches have said publicly they are prepared to support him if he loses preselection and opts to run as an independent.

“It would be surprising, but if there is someone who wishes to challenge I am more than happy to stand on my record, my parliamentary performance, the support I have in the local electorate and obviously the strong endorsement of the Prime Minister,” Mr Kelly told The Australian.

Mr Turnbull has given his ­explicit support to other conservatives including Mr Taylor and Senator Fierravanti-Wells, both of whom he promoted in the ministerial reshuffle last weekend. The moderates have now called off any move against them.

Jai Rowell, who is accused of being behind the mooted challenge to Mr Taylor, made an emotional denial to the NSW joint partyroom yesterday and said he was in hospital when accused of masterminding factional games.

Mr Rowell said he had a minor stroke from a similar injury to that which killed cricketer Phillip Hughes, after a horse-riding accident. ­Sources said Mr Rowell warned factional ­rivals he would retaliate if they kept saying he was responsible for factional tensions.

Liberal moderates flagged yesterday they were now factoring Senator Fierravanti-Wells into plans for a Senate unity ticket along with Hollie Hughes, who is expected to take over from veteran senator Bill Heffernan.

The Nationals’ new deputy leader, Fiona Nash, would take third spot, while talks are underway to line up a woman for a fourth place position — a move that would create an all-female Senate ticket for the first time.

The preselection contest in Bronwyn Bishop’s seat of Mackellar on Sydney’s northern beaches is deemed to be a unique situation and not subject to a factional play for the electorate. Moderates played down the chance of Walter Villatora — the chairman of Mr Abbott’s electoral committee — gaining serious support and dismissed him as a hard Right factional warrior.

The touted moderate candidate, Jason Falinski, is likely to nominate for the seat with sources saying he had the support of state MP for Pittwater Rob Stokes, Warringah mayor Michael Regan and Premier Mike Baird. Mrs Bishop is still viewed to have the numbers given her “vice-like grip” over local branches.

Additional reporting: Mark Coultan