Lou Amato is best known for being one of three MPs who launched a failed leadership spill motion against former premier Gladys Berejiklian during the 2019 abortion decriminalisation debate.
Dai Le,the newly elected federal member for Fowler,was identified by Baird as exactly the sort of candidate the Liberals must get into parliament,but factionalism within the Liberal Party prevailed. Now she is off to Canberra as an independent and Amato is a Liberal MP who has flirted with defecting to One Nation. (Baird ultimately dumped Mason-Cox and Rowell from cabinet for their actions.)
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The Liberals’ federal result on Saturday was nothing short of disastrous,largely because of the unpopularity of Scott Morrison but also a monumental failure in candidate selection.
After watching the teal wave roll in,Premier Dominic Perrottet is acutely aware that picking strong,suitable candidates is critical if his ageing state government has any chance of success in the state election next March. But knowing and delivering are very different things.
The Liberals’ track record with preselection is not good. There is a well-documented under-presentation of women in state parliament;state Liberal MPs in both houses number 44,of whom only 12 are female. The two most recent Liberal vacancies in the upper house were handed to men.
Of course,tokenism is not the answer. Katherine Deves’ selection for Warringah,and Morrison’s unwavering support for someone who readily spouted inappropriate views that in no way advanced policy debate,demonstrated that candidates – male or female – must be thoroughly vetted and electable.