Departing Liberal senator Fierravanti-Wells warns of poll day backlash

NSW senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has warned that attempts by Scott Morrison and his allies to parachute in candidates will cause a grassroots backlash.

NSW Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has warned that attempts by Scott Morrison and his factional allies to bypass grassroots members and parachute candidates into seats will be felt on election day, foreshadowing a backlash that could leave ballot booths empty.

The longstanding conservative Liberal delivered a searing speech on Tuesday night, accusing the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister Alex Hawke of “trampling” the party’s constitution. She said the pair were unfit to hold their respective offices.

Speaking to The Weekend Australian, Senator Fierravanti-Wells said the NSW Liberal Party was likely to face significant challenges in ensuring it had sufficient volunteers, arguing grassroots members would simply not turn up to help in response to the party’s efforts to avoid preselections.

“It is not the Liberal Party that I joined; there is much anger out there from ordinary Australians and party members who no longer support us or will not vote for us,” she said.

“Grassroots members will not volunteer to work. It will be difficult to have sufficient workers at all booths in NSW.”

The NSW Court of Appeal heard a case on Friday brought by NSW state executive member Matt Camenzuli, who has argued Mr Morrison’s attempts to endorse his three sitting MPs is “invalid”.

The Liberal federal executive appointed the temporary committee – comprising Mr Morrison, Premier Dominic Perrottet and former federal president Christine McDiven – after months of factional infighting paralysed the party’s ability to select candidates in a dozen seats across NSW.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells’ warnings were echoed by John Riad, the president of the Hughes federal electoral conference in southern Sydney. In a letter written to the party’s state executive on Thursday, Mr Riad said the ­decision to cancel the Hughes preselection was an “act of morally (sic) bankruptcy”.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Conference will not support or have confidence in the selection of an individual that did not nominate for preselection or bypasses the due process set out in the Constitution,” Mr Riad wrote. “The Party is in disarray as a consequence of this self-indulgence.”

The bungled attempt to parachute in a “captain’s pick” has seen the NSW Liberal Party schedule then cancel a preselection ballot; and Mr Morrison’s preferred candidate, family advocate commissioner Gwen Cherne, unable to run due to a reported dual-citizenship.

Liberal sources told The Australian that local lawyer Jenny Ware, one of the seat’s three nominees, had been endorsed by Mr Morrison in Hughes. Ms Ware and the remaining eight candidates are expected to be announced on Sunday.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells called for reform of the NSW division constitution. This included electronic voting for the Senate and for all lower house seats. It would also include a review of the use and necessity of a range of “emergency” powers in the constitution relating to preselections.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells lost a three-way preselection battle with Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and senator Jim Molan last Saturday, effectively bringing an end to her 17-year career in the Senate.