WA Liberals slam themselves
An internal review has savaged the WA Liberals’ election performance.
The internal review was commissioned by the party in the wake of the March election, which left the Liberals with just two Lower House members.
It found that members and MPs were guilty of “unethical and underhand” conduct in the lead-up to their catastrophic loss.
The party was found to have been affected by a “corruption of the essential mechanisms that guide and are intended to preserve the integrity of the party”.
The report comes alongside leaked text messages that show key powerbrokers engaging in alleged branch stacking.
A major recommendation was to abolish the party's state executive.
It called for a state conference to decide whether the executive has any “useful role” in the party's administration, and guide major major changes such as reducing its size to make it “less susceptible to factional manipulation” and a ban on electronic devices.
The report suggests mobile phones, tablets and laptops would only be held by certain officials at high-level meetings to maintain confidentiality.
Outgoing WA Liberal Party president Fay Duda said the election lead-up campaign was “embarrassing and humiliating”, and that the party was too focused on itself.
The chair of the review committee, Danielle Blain, said efforts should be made to increase the participation of women.
“All members must have the opportunity to participate in candidate pre-selections and choosing the party's office-bearers in their local electorate,” Ms Blain said.
“We must acknowledge that women are not adequately represented in either the organisation or parliamentary wings of the party, despite it being a proclaimed value.
“I am optimistic that the party will use this opportunity to re-earn the trust of Western Australians and give them the alternative government that they deserve.”