Mathias Cormann replacement: Christian right warned

The battle to replace ex-senator Mathias Cormann has turned into a referendum on the influence of the Liberals’ Christian right faction in Western Australia.

Federal Liberal for Fremantle Sherry Sufi. Source: Facebook

The battle to replace ex-senator Mathias Cormann has turned into a referendum on the influence of the Liberals’ Christian right faction in Western Australia, with senior party figures angry about the group’s attempt­ed ousting of incumbent Dean Smith.

What was expected to be a vote on Saturday to install a new candidate in the third spot of the Senate ticket in WA has been complicated after the Christian right moved to challenge Senator Smith, who would typically be ­expected to move to second on the ticket behind Michaelia Cash.

Some socially conservative members of the party still feel hostile over the senator’s vocal support for marriage equality back in 2017, which they believe contradicted undertakings made when he was preselected.

Senior figures in the party have called for the Christian right to fall in behind Senator Smith and moderate candidate Ben Small, or risk seeing prominent figures from the faction such as MP Ian Goodenough challenged for preselection themselves.

The battle has turned increasingly nasty, with questions also being raised about the eligibility of one of the race’s candidates.

Sherry Sufi, who is backed by the Christian right from Perth’s southern suburbs, also chairs the Friends of Israel WA, a position opponents believe could put him in breach of Section 44 of the Constitution.

In an extract of his nomination form, obtained by The Weekend Australian, Dr Sufi ticked “yes’’ when asked if he had ever been a member of a politically active group. He described the Friends of Israel as “a bipartisan organisation that aims to build grassroots support for the state of Israel”.

“My role involves fighting antisemitism and advocating for Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish majority state,” he wrote.

Section 44, which triggered a crisis in 2017-18 when a host of MPs and senators were found to be ineligible, prohibits anyone “under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power” from being elected to parliament.

Liberal Party rules prevent Dr Sufi from talking to the media. But supporters noted that Friends of Israel WA’s current and former patrons include a host of senior WA political figures, including Mr Cormann and Mr Smith.