Tony Abbott has attacked a looming convention in New South Wales considering reforms to the state Liberal party, declaring there appears to be a move to lock out rank-and-file party members and “smother” discussion.
Abbott told 2GB radio on Wednesday night charging an admission fee for the July event of $199 was “very discouraging for rank and file Liberals”.
“Rank and file Liberals are supposed to own our party. The party should not be owned by MP’s staffers and lobbyists. It should be owned by the members,” Abbott said.
He said the admission charge was turning the reform convention “into a rich people’s convention. That’s the last thing we want.”
Abbott said the party needed to reconsider the admission charge for the July convention “because if ... the current proposal stands, a lot of people are going to feel cheated”.
“As things stand it does look like it’s an attempt to smother discussion and keep people out rather than welcome people in.”
The former prime minister has been at the epicentre of a bitter rolling fight inside the NSW division of the Liberal party between conservatives and moderates over party rules in the state.
The July convention is being held to consider a range of proposals for democratic reform.
Abbott is pushing for the adoption of plebiscites to resolve preselections in NSW. NSW is the only state division of the Liberal party that does not allow each party member a vote on preselections.
Late last year, the former prime minister John Howard, used a National Press Club event to urge Malcolm Turnbull and the then NSW premier Mike Baird to change the membership rules of the NSW Liberal party.
Howard described the state division as being close to a “closed shop”.
Abbott’s reform push will require a healthy attendance at the event if it is to have any hope of success. The democratisation push in NSW splits the party largely along factional lines.
The right is leading a push for change, the moderates have resisted the push. The NSW state executive is controlled by the moderates. With the factional relationships poisonous in the state, moderates have expressed concern that plebiscites will lead to branch stacking.
