Cry of double standards on preselection call

Liberal are bewildered Malcolm Turnbull has come out against cancelling preselections for sitting MPs in NSW.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney yesterday. Picture: AAP

Liberal MPs are bewildered Malcolm Turnbull has come out against cancelling preselections for sitting MPs in his home state of NSW, given the former prime minister voiced no opposition to the same process in Victoria.

Several Victorian power­brokers say Mr Turnbull voiced no opposition to the automatic pre­selection of sitting MPs in the state, which was waved through by the Victorian Liberal Party’s administrative committee in the final weeks of his prime ministership.

One Victorian Liberal yesterday said Mr Turnbull merely questioned whether the same process would be applied to Victorian ­senators, which it was.

The cancellation of preselections in Victoria, backed by outgoing president Michael Kroger, came amid concerns several MPs would face a challenge, including Kelly O’Dwyer, Kevin Andrews, Russell Broadbent, Julia Banks and Tim Wilson.

Conservative figures wanted to use the process to save Mr ­Andrews, while more moderate MPs wanted Ms O’Dwyer protected from a futile but potentially damaging push to unseat her led by Jack Hammond QC, who was angry at her role in the Turnbull government’s superannuation ­reforms.

A Victorian Liberal MP said: “Strangely, Malcolm had no problem with the Victorian adminis­tration committee re-endorsing all incumbents when he was PM.”

A federal NSW MP said Mr Turnbull had no consistency in his opposition to cancelling preselections for sitting members. “It is ironic he is attacking something Scott (Morrison) is doing that he endorsed himself only a few months ago,” the MP said.

Mr Turnbull pressured moderate candidate Kent Johns to stand down against Craig Kelly for Liberal preselection in the seat of ­Hughes before the 2016 election.

Mr Turnbull said yesterday that Liberal members in the seat of Hughes deserved to have their say on who should be their candidate.

“We’ve just had a very long debate in NSW in the Liberal Party about the importance of democracy and grassroots members’ participation,” Mr Turnbull said. “In my view, the party should allow the preselection process to take its course and then Mr Kelly will ­either succeed or not, depending on the views of the Liberal Party members whose candidate he is.”

Mr Turnbull said the prospect of Mr Kelly resigning to the crossbench if he was not saved was the “worst and weakest” reason for the state executive to step in.