NSW Liberals state director Richard Shields has been sacked after he “staggeringly” failed to nominate 140 candidates for local elections.
In a statement issued after an emergency meeting late Thursday night, the party’s state chairman, Don Harwin, said the board had unanimously decided to terminate Shields’ employment over the fiasco.
“The state director was given the opportunity to explain the circumstances to the state leadership,” the report said.
‘The fact that he fails to meet this fundamental responsibility makes his position untenable.
‘As a result, the executive branch has unanimously decided to terminate the State Director’s employment with immediate effect.’
There is a threat of civil war breaking out at the Liberal Party headquarters as a result of their blunder.
NSW State Chief Executive Don Harwin says the decision to sack Richard Shields was unanimous
Earlier on Thursday evening, Shields called calls for his resignation “premature” and blamed the party’s de facto leadership, led by Harwin.
The influential man and former minister of state had volunteered to lead the local government nomination process, but the executive chose the final candidate just two hours before nominations closed on Wednesday, Shields said.
“There must be a thorough review of the nomination process to establish all the facts,” he said.
Eight local councils, including several at the heart of the party, will go to the upcoming national elections without a Liberal Party candidate on their list of candidates.
More than four million people are expected to vote in the September elections.
Mr Harwin reportedly called an emergency meeting with Mr Shields and the state leadership on Thursday evening “to discuss the situation surrounding local government nominations”.
“It is critical that we understand what happened and that we take decisive action to maintain the confidence of our members and the public as we prepare for the future,” he said.
‘The communication and engagement were seriously lacking. With better communication this whole mess could have been avoided.’
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman led a chorus of leading Liberals on Thursday who reacted strongly to the “monumental blunder”.
“It is a fundamental question of competence and governance,” he told reporters, adding that the state director’s position was untenable.
Mr Speakman denied that this was a sign that the party had lost its way, but said he expected further consequences.
Other Liberals have criticised the 26-member state government, which was also selected too late for the 2022 federal election due to the problems.
Federal party leader Peter Dutton suggested at least two people should resign.
In Sydney, councils affected include Northern Beaches, Lane Cove, Camden and Campbelltown, as well as regional electorates in Cessnock, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains.
Several councils overlap with safe Liberal seats in the state parliament.
