Root and branch review of WA Liberal poll axing

Dean Smith has written to the WA Liberal Party confirming his ‘strong interest and availability’ in participating in the party’s post-election review.

Senator Dean Smith looks set to lead a sweeping review of the Liberal Party’s disastrous performance in the Western Australian election.

And Mr Smith may be joined in the efforts by Michael Keenan, with the former Federal justice minister also understood to have put his hand up to help in the autopsy.

Mr Smith has written to WA Liberal Party state president Faye Duda confirming his “strong interest and availability” in participating in the party’s post-election review. The letter, a copy of which has been obtained by The Australian, was also sent to industrial relations minister Michaelia Cash and state director Sam Calabrese.

The Liberal Party recorded its worst ever result at the March 13 WA election, winning just two of 59 lower house seats. Its previous worst-ever result in WA was the 13 seats it won in 2017.

A host of blue-chip seats fell to Labor for the first time in history, and Mark McGowan’s government now also has an absolute majority in the state’s upper house.

“It is essential the review process and its recommendations form the first step in rebuilding our party, and not be viewed as the final step in closing off our unsuccessful 2021 state election campaign,” Mr Smith wrote.

He said the review should include a panel of three or four members “drawn from areas relevant to the rebuilding of the Liberal Party”, including a representative from the WA business community.

“The terms of reference for the review should include preceding years leading up to the state election and be broad enough to ensure short and long term elements associated with the election loss are properly examined,” Mr Smith wrote.

While Mr McGowan’s handling of the pandemic was central to his win, the Liberals’ campaign was marred by several issues. A controversial energy plan which pushed for the closure of WA’s coal-fired power plants sparked outrage among Liberal MPs, candidates and members, while many of the party’s candidates had strong links to religious groups.

A procession of Liberal figures have spoken out about the perceived influence of “powerbrokers” Peter Collier and Nick Goiran, both of whom were notable absentees from the new leadership team announced by the WA Liberal Party on Tuesday.

While Mr Collier was the leader of the opposition in the upper house during the last parliament, neither he nor Mr Goiran put themselves forward for senior roles in the diminished party.

Both men have publicly backed an overhaul of the party’s preselection methods.

New Liberal leader David Honey on Tuesday said he supported a “root and branch” review of the party, including its preselection processes.

“Our processes need to be robust and they need to be able to withstand the ability of individuals of groups to affect them,” he said.

Mr Smith himself faced a short-lived challenge to his own political future last year, when religious conservative factions tried to push him down the party’s senate ticket, but the revolt was abandoned after intervention from senior party members.

Mr Smith has previously shot down suggestions that the party’s disastrous election could prompt a Federal intervention in the party.

The Federal government currently holds 11 of 16 seats in Western Australia, and Scott Morrison’s hopes for re-election will rely heavily on holding the bulk of that ground.

But the dismal election result has put a strain on the finances of the WA branch, while the small number of state MPs means there are significantly fewer resources and personnel on the ground in WA to help with Federal campaigning.

Mr Keenan retired from politics ahead of the 2019 election. He has since been the chief executive of specialist disability accommodation group Sana Living.

The review appointments will be decided at a meeting of the party’s senior management executive on Friday and the State Council on Saturday.