Liberals on brink of all-out civil war

Scott Morrison has flagged federal intervention in the NSW Liberal Party to protect MPs from preselection challenges.

Federal NSW Liberal MP Alex Hawke is likely to face a preselection challenge. Picture: Toby Zerna

Scott Morrison has flagged federal intervention in the NSW Liberal Party to protect sitting MPs from preselection challenges, in a move that could be tested in the courts and escalate the civil war in the party’s largest division.

Senior NSW Liberals were privately scathing of the Prime Minister on Tuesday after he lashed out at “childish games” in the division over a refusal to cancel pre­selection challenges to federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke and North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman.

The factional row, described as the worst in decades, has prevented the Liberals from pre­selecting candidates in the winnable seats of Hughes, Dobell, Bennelong, Warringah, Macarthur, Parramatta and Eden-Monaro.

“It is very frustrating, and there’s some childish games going on there – you know, people who play games in politics,” Mr Morrison told 2GB radio.

“If they can’t endorse (Ms Ley), they should get out of the way and let the federal executive ensure that we can get that done.

“Those playing games … need to ensure they focus on winning this election for the goodness of the Australian people and forget their factional rubbish.”

Senior Liberal figures said it was Mr Morrison and his key factional ally Mr Hawke who were playing the political games so they could get their preferred candidates endorsed in key seats.

Liberals also warned that an intervention may not be supported by the party’s federal executive, while a legal challenge against the takeover could be lodged by members of the NSW division who want open preselections.

Sources said Mr Hawke, the Prime Minister’s representative in NSW preselection issues, had refused to turn up to key meetings over the past year.

There is widespread suspicion Mr Morrison was complicit in Mr Hawke scuppering the usual preselection processes in a bid to ­facilitate federal intervention and secure more MPs from their Centre Right faction in parliament.

“It is a Morrison/Hawke play to get more people for the Centre Right into parliament,” a senior NSW Liberal said. This all started 12 months ago when they thought they were going to pick up over five seats in NSW. Now, of course, things have changed and they are desperately scrambling.”

Another senior Liberal figure said: “There would have been no delay if the Prime Minister’s representative was doing his job.”

“We have a nomination review process which requires every candidate to be able to satisfy the party before they are selected,” a senior Liberal said.

The nomination review process needs to be attended by a representative for Mr Morrison, state party president Philip Ruddock, state director Chris Stone and the federal conference chair.

A Liberal said the four people needed to be at the meetings for a decision to be sanctioned but “the Prime Minister’s representative doesn’t seem to have time to be able to undertake that role”.

If Mr Morrison managed to garner enough support on the federal executive to implement the powers, the NSW Liberal Party could be placed into administration for up to two years.

In November, the Prime Minister told a federal executive meeting he was considering using powers designed to dissolve the NSW division, allowing him to override the preselection process and impose his own candidates.

At the time, federal Liberal vice-president Nick Minchin and Mr Ruddock expressed their concern about the use of the powers.