Motions are to go before the NSW Liberals State Council seeking to expel powerbroker and federal MP Alex Hawke and reopen preselection in the seat of the Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives, Paul Fletcher, in the latest round of factional warfare to break out in the trouble-plagued party.
Motions to be put to State Council this weekend by different branches of the Liberals target both former ministers.
A motion from the Artarmon Branch, pushed by members of the Right wing of the party, calls for “the Hon Alexander Hawke MP to be expelled by State Council from the NSW Division of the Liberal Party in accordance with section 3.14 of the Constitution.”
Another motion from the Roseville branch of the party called for the State Council to overrule a decision taken by the party’s State Executive on September 30 this year to reject the application of Mr Paul Nettlebeck to appeal the decision of the nomination review committee in relation to the Bradfield preselection.
The motion calls for the party to “overrule any decision taken by the State Executive in relation to the endorsement of a particular individual Liberal candidate for Bradfield”.
Sky News understands that after a redistribution occurs later this year, there will be a push to reopen all Liberal preselections.
However in the event of an early federal election, the state executive of the party may move to keep all preselections the same.
There is speculation that several former state ministers could put their hands up for preselection ahead of the election, including David Elliott and Matt Kean.
It comes after Sky News revealed in January that former NSW Trade and Sports Minister Stuart Ayres, who left the state cabinet after the controversial attempted appointment of John Barilaro to a New York trade job, is tapped to be the next president of the NSW Liberal party, with incumbent Jason Falinski set to stand down.
Party sources confirmed at the time that Mr Ayres had been approached and was weighing up whether to run for the presidency.
Mr Ayres narrowly lost the seat of Penrith, which he had held since 2010, at last year’s state election.
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