Liberal in spotlight on own-goal site

A NSW Liberal Party branch president faces sanctions over a controversial website that ridicules his own side of politics.

A screenshot of the Politicom website mocking Christopher Pyne

A NSW Liberal Party branch president is under investigation and faces sanctions after launching a controversial website that ridicules his own side of politics, accuses senior figures of heresy, and mocks the sexual orientations of former cabinet ministers.

The website, launched by Sean Burke, the NSW Liberal Party’s Freshwater branch president, bills itself as “unapologetic­ally biased” in its coverage of centre-left politics and nerve-point issues that have occupied the NSW and federal parliaments.

Party officials told The Australian on Wednesday that while some of Mr Burke’s content appear­ed benign, some content appeared to cross the lines of basic decency, and in other cases seemed deliberately malicious.

One article, headlined “The conservatives no-one knew were straight”, takes aim at former federal government ministers Christopher Pyne, Alexander Downer and Amanda Vanstone, all renowne­d Liberal Party stalwarts who have retired from politics.

“Their mannerisms, vocal inflecti­on, policy agenda and general deportment left us in little­ doubt their preferences lay elsewhere,” Mr Burke wrote.

A piece on Malcolm Turnbull, headlined “Labor should grow up and give Malcolm his membership”, suggests Mr Turnbull is “despised by many in his second-choice party” and “deserves to be immediately expelled”.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne, NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean and NSW upper house MP Natalie Ward also come in for criticism on a range of issues, from their stances on religiou­s freedom and border securit­y, to climate change, late-term abortion and bestiality legislation.

Mr Kean is labelled a climate change activist and a “so-called conservative” member of government who, along with Ms Ward and Senator Payne, had “foxed their way into cabinet and other leadership roles”.

A spokesman for the NSW Liberal Party said the website would undergo a thorough examination to determine if its content or peripheral administration were in breach of party rules. “The party is actively investigating this issue,” he said.

Mr Burke did not respond to The Australian’s requests for comment, but on the website he describes­ its purpose as sharing a centre-right view of politics and ventilating matters of classical liberalism, free speech and diversity of thought.

He is known to be a strong supporter of NSW senator Jim Molan, and actively assisted his re-election campaign during last year’s federal election. This ­included handing out his how-to-vote cards on polling day, a ­deeply divisive decision.