Tony Abbott has urged Liberal party members to stay in the party and fight for reforms after the resignation of former Howard government minister Jackie Kelly over the NSW division’s failure to make changes in the wake of factional brawling and evidence at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac). “I have a very clear message to people who want to see reform of the Liberal party,” the prime minister said. “Stay in and fight because I want to see a more accountable, transparent and democratic party in NSW, and once we’ve got the state election out of the way, this will be a very high priority for me personally.” “You can either be part of the solution or you can opt out and let things pass you by. I would very much encourage people to stay in and fight for the things they believe in.” But senior Victorian Liberal Peter Reith has criticised Abbott for doing nothing on reform in his own state. Reith backed Kelly, who in a resignation letter described a party in the grip of lobbyists with a “corrosive” factional system. She said members were so frustrated they were refusing to help in the state election campaign. In Reith’s home state of Victoria the party changed its rules to allow every member a vote in preselections, rather than just elected branch delegates. That plebiscite system has been recommended in a review by the former prime minister John Howard. Reith said Abbott – who has voiced his support for more democratisation – had not supported NSW premier Mike Baird in the reform process. “I do think there is an issue here for the federal Liberal party,” Reith said. “I don’t think Tony has done anything on party reform and he ought to be really lining up with Mike Baird and giving him more support than quite frankly he has had. “I understand her frustration but much better to be inside the tent than on the outside, which is where Jackie has put herself now.” Reith described the rot that had set into some branches of the NSW party, where Liberal powerbrokers were actively refusing new members to ensure they maintained power of the local branch. “I do understand her frustration,” Reith told Sky News on Friday. “There are some branches where you can’t even get in because they have closed branches, so reform is very necessary. “My expectation is that after the next election, Mike Baird will really move on all this but he is leading up to the election, he doesn’t want disunity in the meantime, but it’s certainly a big issue.” Kelly’s resignation has brought the issue to a head, weeks before the annual general meeting of the NSW state council, which is attended by the branch delegates but not the members. On Thursday, Kelly claimed the lack of reforms had caused many ordinary Liberal party members to “down tools” and refuse to volunteer in the March state election campaign. Some Liberal supporters in the party’s heartland of Sydney are refusing to renew their membership. Pressure for reform has increased since the state government was rocked by multiple resignations after Icac heard allegations of illegal campaign contributions. The federal assistant treasurer, Arthur Sinodinos, has also stood aside from the ministry while investigations continue into his involvement in Australian Water Holdings, a company with ties to the disgraced Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid. The Liberal party was swept to office on the back of allegations of corruption against former ministers and members of the previous Labor government. But since then Liberal MPs have faced their own allegations. The push for party reforms hopes to marginalise lobbyists and powerbrokers in the party.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 07:01:55 +0000
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