Claims of stacked pack as Jordan prevails in Liberal preselection

There were calls on Thursday for an official challenge to be made against the preselection process as relations within the party worsened  after divisions caused by  last year’s Independent Commission Against Corruption hearings.

One member described the preselection ballot between businesswoman Jaimie Abbott and long-time Port Stephens councillor Ken Jordan as ‘‘over before it even began’’, played out before a backdrop of ‘‘ICAC stars’’.

‘‘It’s like the party hasn’t learnt anything from the ICAC investigations, it’s the same people still controlling things,’’ a party member said.

‘‘We really had hoped for a breath of fresh air.’’

Another said that  though members weren’t opposed to Cr Jordan, Ms Abbott had been ‘‘pressured to back out since the get-go’’ and the process had ‘‘made a lot of people angry’’.

‘‘I think Ken Jordan will be a great candidate but just because someone else from higher up has said he should be the candidate doesn’t mean it should just happen, that’s not democracy,’’ the member said.

On Wednesday night at the Nelson Bay Bowling Club, a contingent of 37 preselectors voted 21 to 16 to endorse Cr Jordan as the party’s candidate for the March election.

In the lead-up to the vote,  Cr Jordan had been backed by outgoing Port Stephens MP Craig Baumann and federal member for Paterson Bob Baldwin, and on Wednesday, they were well represented at the preselection vote.

Of the eight preselectors from the Karuah branch of the party, four were members of the Baldwin family, a fifth was branch ally Michelle Moffat, and a sixth was her husband.

Mr Baumann did not vote but one of his staffers and his wife did.

Former Port Stephens mayor Ron Swan and current councillor Paul Le Mottee also voted.

Star ICAC witness Josh Hodges didn’t vote, but was spotted at the bar congratulating Cr Jordan with Mr Hodges’ former boss, Mr Baumann. 

Port Stephens mayor Bruce MacKenzie – who is not a member of the Liberal Party – had previously threatened to run as an independent if Cr Jordan did not gain preselection.

The Newcastle Herald reported last year that Cr MacKenzie had devised an intricate web of preference deals to take control of Port Stephens Council at the last local government election and Cr Jordan, Cr Le Mottee and Mr Swan were all mentioned as part of that team. 

According to a party insider, those links have caused ‘‘acrimony’’ within the Port Stephens Liberals.

‘‘A lot of people don’t like Bruce [MacKenzie] and see Ken [Jordan] as a big part of Bruce’s team,’’ the member said.

Cr MacKenzie said on Thursday that Cr Jordan was the ‘‘best candidate’’, and that he had no plans to run.

‘‘I will be supporting Ken Jordan. There are people out there saying be wary of his association with developers, and I suppose some of that is directed at me, but it’s just sour grapes,’’ he said.

‘‘If they do the right thing and want to spend money in Port Stephens,  I welcome them, whether they are Buildev, or whoever they are.’’

Cr MacKenzie responded to the suggestion that a core group of conservatives had been perceived as running Port Stephens for a very long time by saying: ‘‘I don’t see any problem with [a small group of people] running the joint if it’s done right’’.

‘‘I have no doubt that there will be a campaign to say [Cr Jordan is] tainted and he’s in with Baumann and MacKenzie,’’ he said.

On Thursday, there were also allegations of stacking in Mr Baldwin’s Karuah branch.

An electorate staffer for Mr Baldwin, Simon Ryan, a long-time Liberal Party member, moved to the Karuah branch from the Port Stephens or Tomaree branch about five months ago. 

Some of Ms Abbott’s allies had suggested the move was aimed at giving the branch the required 10 members to vote in a preselection ballot.

But while Mr Baldwin said yesterday that Mr Ryan had moved because ‘‘we [Karuah] needed an extra branch member’’, he said it happened ‘‘before Craig Baumann pulled the pin’’ and was also because Mr Ryan ‘‘wasn’t happy’’ with how the Tomaree branch was being run.

‘‘It had absolutely nothing to do with preselection,’’ he said.

Liberal Party state director Tony Nutt said he wouldn’t comment on specific members, but  the Karuah branch ‘‘was properly entitled to participate in the Port Stephens preselection’’.

However,  another member of the Karuah branch said it was ‘‘not very functional’’ and ‘‘hardly has any meetings’’.

Mr Baumann said  in December that he would not recontest Port Stephens following an indefinite delay in the ICAC handing down its Operation Spicer findings.

Mr Baumann moved to the crossbench in September last year after revelations he failed to disclose political donations from property developers.

On Thursday,  he described Cr Jordan as ‘‘a man of integrity’’ who would make a ‘‘fine candidate’’ for Port Stephens.

“Port Stephens deserves a member who will work hard, put the area first and be able to get Port Stephens its fair share in the Baird government’s clear plan for the state,” he said.

BRUCE MACKENZIE

Longtime Port Stephens mayor. In March last year the Herald revealed ‘‘Bruce Almighty’’ had orchestrated a complicated preference swap deal with dozens of candidates to secure control of the council. Said in December that if Ken Jordan wasn’t preselected, he would run as an independent.

KEN JORDAN

Newly preselected candidate for the Liberal Party in the seat of Port Stephens. Best man at the wedding of Buildev co-founder Darren Williams and had the support of outgoing MP Craig Baumann and federal MP Bob Baldwin.

CRAIG BAUMANN

Outgoing Port Stephens MP who served since 2007. Moved to the crossbench in September last year after revelations he failed to disclose political donations from property developers. A Liberal Party spokeswoman previously labelled claims of a deal between the party’s head office and Mr Baumann for Cr Jordan to be his successor as ‘‘not true’’.

BOB BALDWIN

Federal member for Paterson, which takes in most of the Port Stephens electorate. Part of the Karuah branch of the party, which one member describes as ‘‘not very functional’’. Previously emailed Maitland preselectors on behalf of Cr Jordan when he planned to nominate for that seat.

JAIMIE ABBOTT

Cr Jordan’s preselection opponent. Previously a federal candidate for the seat of Newcastle, one member said she had been subjected to a ‘‘smear campaign’’ in the lead-up to the vote. Photos of her car parked at her Georgetown home were circulated after she said she was living in Port Stephens. She said it was her partner’s car.  

TOMAREE/PORT STEPHENS

The largest branch in the electorate, the Tomaree branch backed Jaimie Abbott in the vote. Previously, president Geoff Cavanagh had accused the western branches of ‘‘trying to unfairly influence’’ the preselection by promoting Cr Jordan’s preselection as a done deal.

KARUAH

The smallest branch in the Port, dominated by the family of Paterson MP Bob Baldwin. One of his staffers, Simon Ryan, transferred from Tomaree to Karuah five months ago because the branch needed extra members. Another one of his staffers, whose family lives on the Tomaree Peninsula, is also a proposed member for the Karuah branch.

MEDOWIE 

Craig Baumann’s branch. Port Stephens councillors Steve Tucker and Paul Le Mottee are both members.