‘Disgrace and outrage’:Liberal bloodletting continues over Warringah defeat

Recriminations have continued to flow over the defeat of controversial candidate Katherine Deves at the May election,with Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg telling local members the way they were treated by the party ahead of polling day was a “complete disgrace” and “outrage”.

Members of the Liberal Party’s Warringah federal electorate conference met on Saturday for their annual general meeting,where they elected PwC consultant and former prominent Young Liberal Alex Dore as their next president.

Katherine Deves’ controversial opinions on transgender women in sport made Warringah the focal point of a national transgender debate.

Katherine Deves’ controversial opinions on transgender women in sport made Warringah the focal point of a national transgender debate.Jessica Hromas

Deves delivered the candidate’s report at the meeting,her first appearance before local party members since her resounding defeat to independent MP Zali Steggall in Tony Abbott’s previously safe blue-ribbon seat on Sydney’s northern beaches.

The women’s sport activist was handpicked by former prime minister Scott Morrison just a week before he called the election.

She becamea central figure in the campaign after a provocative series of past tweets about transgender issues were revealed.

In one particularly controversial tweet,Deves said transgender children were “surgically mutilated and sterilised”,a claim that drew outrage from LGBTQI advocates.

Bragg,one of the party’s leading moderates,told the Warringah conference members it was shameful they were not allowed to help select their own election candidate.

“It was a complete disgrace and an outrage that your rights as members were stolen under the last administration,” Bragg said in a video message aired at the meeting.

“The Liberal Party is a grassroots movement and the idea that people can just come along and take away your right to have your say over our candidates should not be and must not be tolerated.”

The preselection process in NSW,which delayed the installation of candidates in several key seats,is expected to be a focus of the Liberal Party’s official election defeat post-mortem.

NSW Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg said the party was hampered by focussing on “peripheral issues”.

NSW Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg said the party was hampered by focussing on “peripheral issues”.James Brickwood

Bragg said the Liberals’ Warringah campaign was also dogged by Deves’ comments on transgender issues,which were a poor fit for the largely educated,affluent voters in the electorate.

“We had a campaign that was characterised by too many unforced errors,” Bragg said.

“We talked about issues which were peripheral to many Australians. We were blown off course. We should have been talking about the economy and security and we were often focussed on peripheral issues.”

Bragg said the significantly higher support the Liberals’ Senate ticket in Warringah received showed Deves’ perceived extremism was a drag on the party’s House of Representatives result.

Steggall,who previously defeated Abbott in 2019,won 61 per cent of the two-party preferred vote compared to Deves’ 39 per cent.

Bragg said it was crucial the party select candidates who can “speak to the major issues facing Australian voters” at the next election.

Sources at the meeting said Deves delivered a straightforward address that avoided acrimony.

There was widespread speculation before the campaign began that Dore would be installed as the Liberals’ candidate for Hughes,against the wishes of grassroots members.

Lawyer Jenny Ware was chosen instead and won the southern Sydney seat at the election.

After being elected unopposed as conference president,Dore will face the difficult task of running the campaign to win back Warringah from Steggall at the next election.

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Matthew Knott is national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald,focusing on race,culture and identity. He was previously North America correspondent for the Herald and The Age.

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