Preferencing Labor not Goodenough, says Libs stalwart Bill Hassell

A Liberal Party elder says it would be ‘unforgivable’ if disgruntled MP Ian Goodenough tries to send his preferences to Labor.

Liberal MP Ian Goodenough at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Gary Ramage

A Liberal Party elder says it would be “unforgivable” if disgruntled MP Ian Goodenough tries to send his preferences to Labor.

Former West Australian Liberal leader Bill Hassell told The Australian Mr Goodenough had already hurt his standing in the eyes of his former party colleagues through his decision to contest his seat of Moore as an independent, and would do further harm if he made decisions that could boost Labor’s chances in the seat.

The Australian on Monday revealed that Mr Goodenough was weighing up whether to send his preferences to Labor, acknowledging it would be difficult to preference the man who defeated him for Liberal Party preselection, Vince Connelly.

“I’ve always had a high regard for Ian as a person, I think he’s a decent man,” Mr Hassell said.

“When you seek Liberal pre­selection, you give a written and oral undertaking that if you are not endorsed, you won’t stand against the endorsed Liberal ­candidate. So it’s a pretty serious breach of faith and trust if he does stand as an independent.

“I think it is unforgivable if a Liberal, even though they’re ­disgruntled, preferences Labor.”

Former WA Liberal leader Bill Hassell.

Mr Goodenough let his Liberal membership of 30 years lapse at the end of last year and has ­confirmed to his supporters that he will run again in Moore as an independent.

Moore, in Perth’s northern suburbs, was the last Liberal-held seat in metropolitan Perth.

Mr Goodenough narrowly retained the seat in the 2022 election, which saw the party lose the WA seats of Curtin, Tangney, Pearce, Swan and Hasluck.

Regaining at least some of those lost seats is shaping as central to the Coalition’s hopes of returning to government.

Should Mr Goodenough direct his supporters to preference Labor, it could prove decisive in a seat also being eyed by the teals.

One Liberal Party source said they believed Mr Goodenough preferencing Labor could “cost us the seat”.

“If he can get enough people out on the polling booths, that could be enough to tip it,” the source said.

Other party sources, however, believe the backlash against the Albanese government in the west and what they see as a lack of strong support for Mr Good­enough in the electorate mean the party could weather any unfavourable preference decision by the MP.

Mr Goodenough, left, outside the Liberal Party stand at the Perth Royal Show. Picture: Facebook

Mr Hassell said any decision by Mr Goodenough to preference Labor would be “a pretty awful thing to do”.

“It’s bad enough to breach your clear undertaking [about standing against an endorsed Liberal candidate], but preferencing Labor, especially this Labor government – I mean this mob is even worse than the Whitlam government.

“They don’t stand for anything Ian stands for,” Mr Hassell said.

Mr Goodenough had been backed in his preselection bid by Peter Dutton, his Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor, but Moore Liberal members voted strongly in favour of Mr Connelly, who previously held the seat of Stirling up until its abolition in 2022.

The WA Liberal leader, Libby Mettam, refused to be drawn on the conjecture around Mr Goodenough.

“We’re not focused on those matters,” she said.

“Our focus is on booting out a government who have their priorities all wrong.”

The state party has had its own preselection issues ahead of the March election, with incumbent Cottesloe MP David Honey losing to Sandra Brewer for the safe seat.

Ms Mettam noted that Dr Honey had continued to be a team player despite his disappointment at the preselection outcome.

“What I would say about David Honey is that he has made some outstanding contributions to our party and will continue to do so throughout the campaign,” she said.