Pre-selection nominations for Andrew Broad’s seat of Mallee will open in two day’s time

Pre-selection nominations for Andrew Broad’s seat of Mallee will open in two day’s time as the Nationals moves to rapidly find a candidate.

Andrew Broad with wife Rachel. Picture: Jason Edwards.

Pre-selection nominations for Nationals MP Andrew Broad’s seat of Mallee will open in two day’s time, as the party moves to rapidly find a candidate to replace the disgraced MP, who fell on his sword this week over the Hong Kong “sugar babe” scandal.

The Nationals’ state board has decided pre-selections will open on December 21 and close on January 4, with a vote on January 19.

Nationals state director Matt Harris said the local federal electorate council was likely to select a “local champion”. But he would not rule out the possibility that the party’s Deputy Leader, Senator Bridget McKenzie, could have a chance if she ran in the seat, even though she has no connection to the area,.

“Local Nationals members have always chosen candidates who are champions of their local community,” Mr Harris said.

“This could be someone born and bred, with strong ties to the area, or someone who has demonstrated a long term commitment to fighting for regional Victoria.”

This morning Nationals president Larry Anthony said Mr Broad “put the bar” too high on moral issues before it was revealed he was using a “sugar daddy” website to find younger women.

Mr Broad is a staunch advocate against same-sex marriage and was the first Nationals MP to demand Barnaby Joyce resign over an affair with his former staffer Vikki Campion.

When asked if the MP for Mallee was “hypocritical” considering his own personal issues, Mr Anthony said: “Without question.”

“What you put down on record will always come back to you, and that’s exactly what happened to Andrew,” he told Sky News this morning.

“If you put the bar this high and you break that, then the public knows and you’ll pay a high price.”

Mr Anthony, a former Howard government minister, said he only found about Mr Broad’s personal issues when he read gossip magazine New Idea but that the parliament is full of “rumours” about MPs.

“I read the story yesterday in New Idea and when I saw that I just thought: ‘Well, that’s it. That’s the end of the road,’” he told Sky News.

“There’s a lot of things that go around the parliament, there are lots of rumours, there are lots of innuendos, and you’ve got to work your way through the chaff.

“It’s not my job to convict people without the facts. The facts were certainly revealed the other day.”

But he defended Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, who knew about Mr Broad’s situation for six weeks and did not inform Scott Morrison.

“There was some uncertainty about this,” Mr Anthony said.

“Michael did act appropriately and quickly.”