Something bigger beckons for Georgia Ryburn after Liberals’ council mess

Senior NSW Liberals are wooing Northern Beaches Deputy Mayor Georgia Ryburn to take on Mackellar teal Sophie Scamps in next year’s federal election after the councillor’s political career appeared to be cut short because of the party’s embarrassing nominations debacle.

The Liberals were banking on the party taking control of Northern Beaches Council at next month’s local government elections, which were expected to deliver the mayoral title to Ryburn.

Georgia Ryburn is being urged to take on teal MP Sophie Scamps in Mackellar.Credit: Steven Siewert

Instead, Ryburn will be kicked off the council after September 14 because the NSW Liberals failed to nominate a single candidate for the Northern Beaches Council.

In a bid to save her political career, senior Liberals are urging Ryburn to run for federal parliament, seeing her as the best chance to beat Scamps. Ryburn did not respond to questions about the federal move.

Other candidates likely to put their hand up for preselection include former RSL chief James Brown and disability campaigner David Brady.

However, senior Liberals, who are not allowed to speak publicly about preselections, said the party must run a woman to have any hope of unseating Scamps.

The party opened nominations for Mackellar and Warringah on Wednesday, but has not set a closing date because senior operatives are searching for the best candidates to take on Scamps, as well as Warringah independent Zali Steggall.

Barrister and rising Liberal star Jane Buncle, who withdrew her nomination to run in Warringah before the last federal election, has ruled out running against Steggall.

The NSW Liberals need to finalise preselecctions at the same time as they are at risk of a federal take-over after the spectacular failure to nominate 140 candidates in 16 councils, which has led to the sacking of party’s state director Richard Shields and bitter divisions in the state parliamentary party.

Senior NSW frontbencher Alister Henskens narrowly avoided being sacked from shadow cabinet after he was accused of undermining Opposition Leader Mark Speakman by suggesting he was a liar in private text messages to radio broadcaster Ray Hadley.

NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman (right) and frontbencher Alister Henskens.Credit: James Brickwood

Ultimately, Speakman accepted Henskens’ insistence he did not call Speakman a liar, but instead disagreed with him on who was to blame for the nominations debacle, and the pair issued a statement late last week attempting to draw a line under the internal tensions.

Former federal Liberal director Brian Loughnane is undertaking a review of the NSW division. However, a takeover is not likely before the September 14 council elections.

The most high-profile casualty of the nominations saga was the Northern Beaches Council, where Liberals were hoping to overtake the Your Northern Beaches grouping to seize as many as seven seats.

Speaking to the Herald the day after it emerged the Liberals had failed to nominate scores of candidates, Ryburn said she was left feeling “shocked, gutted, in disbelief”.

“I’m really devastated not just for the candidates, but also for our community who at this upcoming election won’t have a choice to vote Liberal,” Ryburn said at the time.

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