Key Points
- The Liberal Party failed to nominate around 150 of its candidates for NSW local government elections.
- Eight local councils will go to upcoming statewide elections without a Liberal candidate on the ticket.
- The NSW Electoral Commission has said it is unable to extend the legislated deadline for nominations.
Many are asking how it could have happened.
According to the recently sacked NSW Liberal Party state director Richard Shields, some 440 candidates were to be nominated for local council elections.
Electoral commission data shows only 281 made the cut, reportedly due to the party failing to submit paperwork for the remainder before the commission’s deadline.
Federal party leader Peter Dutton has called for people to lose their jobs over the mishap and senior Liberals have described it as the worst act of mismanagement in party history.
Here’s what we know about the situation and how it will affect NSW council elections in four weeks.
What happened with NSW Liberal nominations?
Former rugby league player turned councillor John Dorahy, 69, was one of around 150 candidates across NSW left off election ballots.
“A few of my colleagues (including some incumbent councillors) are just beside themselves … the rug has been pulled from under them,” said Dorahy, who had been selected as the Liberal candidate for Wollongong’s mayoral race.
“It’s mind-boggling to be honest.”
Adding to the sting, the former deputy mayor says no one from party headquarters had offered an explanation.
John Dorahy, who had been selected as the Liberal candidate for Wollongong’s mayoral race, is among those who will no longer be in the November election ballots. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
A small team of Liberal staff had been working on Wednesday to file all the nominations but were overwhelmed by the number and simply couldn’t submit them all, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported.
The NSW Electoral Commission has said it was unable to extend the legislated deadline for nominations.
Mary-Lou Jarvis, who serves on Woollahra Council with Shields and is a former NSW Liberal Party vice president, said on Thursday the party had done everything it could to support Shields as he held two leadership roles.
“But unfortunately the job of mayor and state director is too much for one person”, she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Richard Shields’ sacking
In a statement issued after an emergency meeting late on Thursday night, the party’s state president Don Harwin said its executive had unanimously decided to terminate Shields’ employment over the fiasco.
“The state director was given the opportunity to explain the circumstances to the state executive,” Harwin said.
“This failure to meet such a fundamental responsibility has rendered his position untenable.
“As a result, the state executive has unanimously resolved to terminate the state director’s employment with immediate effect.”
It leaves the party without a senior leader four weeks out from statewide elections where more than four million voters will have their say.
How serious was the mistake?
At least eight local councils — including several in the party’s heartland — will go to the upcoming elections without a Liberal candidate on the ticket.
In Sydney, the Northern Beaches, Lane Cove, Camden and Campbelltown councils are among those affected.
Regional voters in Cessnock, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains will also have no Liberal option at the ballot box.
Several affected councils overlap with safe Liberal seats in state parliament.
NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman has called for a full explanation after the party failed to nominate candidates for a swathe of local council elections. Source: AAP / Bianca de Marchi
Voters in Penrith’s east ward — of whom a significant number chose Liberal at the last election — will face a ballot sheet with only Labor nominees.
In eight other councils, only some of the candidates the party planned to nominate will be able to stand.
Opposition leader Mark Speakman on Thursday led a chorus of senior Liberals who were scathing about the “monumental stuff-up”.
“It’s a basic matter of competence and administration,” he told reporters, but denied it was a sign the party had lost its way.
“It’s well known that major parties often draw from local councillors for state and federal candidates,” he said.
With reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
