Queensland senator Gerard Rennick launches legal action against LNP

Gerard Rennick has launched legal action against the Liberal National Party after he was last year booted off the party’s Senate ticket in a controversial internal ballot.

LNP senator Gerard Rennick. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Queensland senator Gerard Rennick has launched legal action against the Liberal National Party after he was last year booted off the party’s Senate ticket in a controversial internal ballot.

In an extraordinary move, the first-term Senator has filed a Supreme Court lawsuit naming members of the LNP’s powerful state executive after the governing body this month rejected his appeal to the outcome of the ballot in which he cited “voter irregularities”.

Senator Rennick lost his spot by just three votes to party treasurer Stuart Fraser in the preselection vote on July 14, last year.

Members of the LNP’s state council had backed Mr Fraser 131 votes to Senator Rennick’s 128.

Senator Rennick, an accountant, is seen as a right-wing renegade in the party ranks who, notably, withdrew his vote for the Morrison government in 2021 in protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates.

Mr Fraser, a moderate in the LNP, was the president of Tattersall’s in Brisbane who championed the vote allowing women to join the once men-only club.

Senator Rennick, who has repeatedly declined interview requests from The Australian, unsuccessfully appealed the senate preselection to the LNP hierarchy raising questions about the eligibility of some voters in the ballot.

LNP Treasurer and Senate candidate Stuart Fraser.

Last year, The Australian revealed that the LNP had not conducted a roll call of voters on the day of the ballot and gave conflicting advice about the delivery of proxies on behalf of several senior elected politicians who were unable to attend the meeting.

Federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton – a permanent member of the state council – was incorrectly told by LNP headquarters that he was ineligible to vote because he was unable to attend the ballot.

Mr Dutton was backing Senator Rennick, because he is a sitting member, in his bid to retain the third spot on the LNP ticket, the same position at which he was elected in 2019.

In contrast to the federal ­Opposition Leader, Nationals leader David Littleproud and Brisbane’s Liberal lord mayor Adrian Schrinner – also permanent state council members who supported Mr Fraser – were allowed to have votes cast on their behalf despite not attending.

Six candidates stood for the third spot on the LNP ticket – ­reserved for a Liberal to contest at a general election.

Several ballots were held, with each eliminating the candidate with the least number of votes, until Senator Rennick and Mr Fraser faced off in the final round of voting.

At the time, LNP sources questioned the eligibility of as many as 10 people seen to be participating in various rounds of the ballot.

State council is the most powerful body in the LNP and has had up to 400 members in recent years.

A three-member disputes committee was convened to investigate Senator Rennick’s complaint and deliver a report to the state executive.

The committee later recommended against holding another preselection in a decision that has never been made public.

Senator Rennick’s legal action appeared on the Supreme Court registry on Monday, naming members of the LNP state executive.

LNP director Ben Riley, LNP president Lawrence Springborg, Mr Littleproud, Mr Schrinner, LNP state leader David Crisafulli, Mr Dutton and former federal Attorney-General George Brandis – who is now acting as legal adviser to the party – have been named as respondents to the action.

A spokesman for the LNP said it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing legal matter.