Liberals ‘shocked’ by NSW party president pick

The factional backroom decision to anoint former Liberal Parramatta candidate Maria Kovacic as the president of the NSW division has divided the party.

Former Liberal Parramatta candidate Maria Kovacic. Picture: John Grainger

The factional backroom decision to anoint former Liberal Parramatta candidate Maria Kovacic as president of the NSW division has divided the party; some claim she represents a safe pair of hands, while others say she got the job because she is a “puppet candidate”.

After weeks of speculation and a number of touted candidates, including former prime minister Tony Abbott and former Mackellar MP Jason Falinski, the moderate, soft-right and conservative wings agreed upon Ms Kovacic as the consensus candidate to replace current president and former federal cabinet minister Philip Ruddock.

While moderates have closed ranks around Ms Kovacic, a former mortgage broker who lost Parramatta to economist Andrew Charlton back in May, saying she has the temperament and resume to succeed, others question whether she is a pawn in a broader factional game, noting her close relationship with NSW Treasurer and moderate leader Matt Kean.

While the decision will go before a vote at the party’s annual meeting in August, the cross-factional agreement means Ms Kovacic, aligned with the party’s left wing and pro gender quotas, is all but certain to win.

Ms Kovacic was unable to be reached for comment.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one Liberal MP said they were “shocked” by Ms Kovacic’s appointment, saying her candidacy had emerged out of left field. The Australian understands several women were approached to run, including former NSW politicians Robyn Parker and Patricia Forsythe, the Australian high commissioner to New Zealand, before Ms Kovacic was approached.

“Members are bewildered that an unknown factional blow-in will likely fill the most senior position in the division. They’re calling her a ‘puppet candidate’,” one Liberal source said, adding: “Rather than yielding control, the people who deliberately cancelled federal preselections are consolidating their power.”

Another senior NSW Liberal source questioned Ms Kovacic’s fundraising credentials and her precipitous rise from a relative unknown among grassroots members to the division’s most prominent role.

Her closeness to Mr Kean was flagged by many as an explanation for her swift rise. Ms Kovacic is president of the Hornsby federal electorate conference, part of Mr Kean’s electorate.

Multiple senior Liberal sources said Ms Kovacic’s presidency was part of a broader effort to ensure smooth passage of several seat swaps ahead of the state election.

Mr Kean declined to comment on the appointment.