NSW Liberal state director Richard Shields has been sacked following a “mind-boggling” failure to nominate 140 candidates for local government elections.
In a statement issued at the conclusion of an emergency meeting late Thursday night, state party chairman Don Harwin said his executive had unanimously decided to fire Shields over the fiasco.
“The state director was given the opportunity to explain the circumstances to the state executive,” he said.
‘This failure to fulfil such a fundamental responsibility has made his position untenable.
‘As a result, the state executive has unanimously decided to dismiss the state director with immediate effect.’
As a result of this error, a civil war is brewing at the headquarters of the Liberal Party.
NSW state premier Don Harwin says the decision to sack Richard Shields was unanimous
Earlier on Thursday night, Shields called calls for her resignation “premature” and blamed the party’s de facto board led by Harwin.
The powerful agent and former state minister had volunteered to lead the local government’s nomination process, with the executive only choosing the final candidate two hours before nominations closed on Wednesday, Shields said.
“There must be a proper review of the nomination process to establish all the facts,” he said.
Eight local councils, including several in the party’s heartlands, will go into the next state election without a Liberal candidate on the list.
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 executive on Thursday night “to review the situation around local government nominations”.
“It is crucial that we understand what happened and take decisive action to maintain the trust of our members and the public as we prepare for the future,” he said.
“Communication and engagement were very poor and the whole issue could have been avoided with better communication.”
Opposition leader Mark Speakman on Thursday led a chorus of senior Liberals who were scathing about the “monumental mistake”.
“It’s a basic question of competence and administration,” he told reporters, adding that the position of state director was untenable.
Mr Speakman denied this was a sign the party had lost its way, but expected there to be ongoing ramifications.
Other Liberals have attacked the 26-member state executive, whose problems also led to the late selection of several candidates for the 2022 federal election.
Federal party leader Peter Dutton suggested there should be at least two resignations.
The Northern Beaches, Lane Cove, Camden and Campbelltown councils are among those affected in Sydney, along with regional voters in Cessnock, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains.
Several councils overlap with safe Liberal seats in state parliament.
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