A report in The Australian says that the selection of a Liberal Party candidate for the safe federal southern Sydney seat of Cook has taken another unexpected turn with former Tourism Australia chief Scott Morrison joining the frontrunners to replace disendorsed candidate Michael Towke.
In recent days, Mr Morrison has stormed back into contention, despite receiving only eight of 160 available votes in the original preselection.
A source in the party’s Left faction said Federal Communications Minister Helen Coonan, who sits on the NSW executive and is close to John Howard, has made clear her preference for Mr Morrison.
A former NSW party secretary, Mr Morrison worked closely with the Prime Minister on the 2001 and 2004 federal election campaigns and it was rumoured and reported by The Mole at the time that he was a Howard supported appointment to Tourism Australia.
Only the remaining six candidates will be eligible, and there will be 43 preselectors instead of 160. Seventeen will be from the state executive with the remainder drawn from local branches.
If approved, next Thursday’s panel will be the party’s third attempt to select a candidate to replace retiring MP Bruce Baird since nominations closed on April 30.
The original preselection, set for June 23, was scuttled by legal action launched by one of the candidates, magazine publishing executive David Coleman.
On July 14, Mr Towke beat Optus executive Paul Fletcher on the final ballot by 82 votes to 70.
Like Mr Speakman and Mr Tynan, Mr Morrison has cross-factional support although he is generally regarded as a conservative.
Described in The Australian as a direct and occasionally abrasive character, he has been hotly opposed throughout the preselection by elements on the Right pushing Mr Towke, including state upper house MP Marie Ficarra.
However, Ms Ficarra’s influence may have waned as a result of the Towke debacle and the current mood appears to be for a swift compromise solution.
Mr Morrison left Tourism Australia last year after a personality clash with Federal Tourism Minister Fran Bailey, but he is close to Mr Howard with The Mole reporting earlier this year that Mr Morrison received a very substantial settlement when he left Tourism Australia and that it was rumoured that selection for a “safe” Liberal seat may have been part of the deal.
Report by The Mole
