Candidates courting Liberal preselection

The race for state and federal Liberal Party preselection is beginning to heat up, as some high-profile names flag their interest and murmurs around others grow louder ahead of two party-defining ballots in 2025.

The WA Liberal Party over the weekend set the closing dates for preselection nominations as it heads into 2025, with seats split across blocks and earliest nomination periods closing on January 17.

Nominations closing on that date are for seats occupied by an incumbent at both state and federal level: David Honey’s Cottesloe seat; Libby Mettam’s Vasse seat; Rick Wilson’s O’Connor seat; Melissa Price’s Durack Seat; Ian Goodenough’s Moore seat and Andrew Hastie’s seat in Canning.

While preselection in a number of these electorates is likely to be a formality, things are not so clear cut in Moore or Cottesloe.

Business News understands former Malcolm Turnbull staffer and head of strategy and government relations at Luerssen Australia Matt Moran is weighing up his preselection nomination options in the federal seat of Moore and the state seat of Churchlands.

Mr Moran is believed to have been approached by senior Liberals to stand in Moore, despite the presence of the incumbent Mr Goodenough.

His name has also been mooted in the Churchlands electorate; a seat heavily linked to high profile City of Perth lord mayor Basil Zempilas.

Mr Moran declined to comment when contacted by Business News.

Political veteran and RSLWA chief executive Vince Connelly, who narrowly lost out to Mr Goodenough in a Moore pre-selection battle 2021, is expected to put his hand up for Moore again.

Mr Connelly was the member for the now-abolished seat of Stirling until 2021. He narrowly lost the ballot for the Cowan electorate to Anne Aly after missing out in Moore that year.

Mr Moran is also affiliated with RSLWA, currently serving as a board member. 

Member for Cottesloe David Honey could also have a preselection fight on his hands, following the announcement by Property Council WA executive director Sandra Brewer last week of her intention to run for preselection in the seaside electorate.

Business News can confirm former Town of Cottesloe councillor Kirsty Barrett is also considering putting her hand up.

One state electorate currently held by the Liberal Party which won’t be decided in the first block is the to-be-abolished division of North West Central.

Merome Beard, who recently defected to the WA Liberal Party from the WA Nationals, is expected to put her hand up to run for the Liberals against her former party leader Shane Love in the amalgamated Mid West electorate.

Preselection in electorates including Kalgoorlie, Riverton, Dawesville, South Perth, Jandakot, Bateman, Curtin and Forrest will close on January 31.

Preselection for South Perth has been linked to one-time state party leader and former Dawesville MP Zak Kirkup, whose name has also been dropped in the conversation around the popular seat of Churchlands.

If he was to put his hand up, it would likely be against City of South Perth mayor Greg Milner, who is understood to be weighing up a tilt. 

Rumours have cooled around the potential South Perth nomination of prominent legal figure Hayley Cormann, whose partner Mathias was previously a federal senator.

Recently elected City of Canning deputy mayor Amanda Spencer-Teo intends to nominate for preselection in Riverton, while the race for Curtin preselection has already hit headlines.

It’s understood Barnett-era Liberal policy advisor and the former chief executive of Uber South Korea Tom White is in contention for the Curtin candidacy.

The next block of electorates closing February 14 includes Murray-Wellington, Forrestfield, Mount Lawley, the federal senate, and the state’s legislative council.

Liberal candidate in 2021 Michelle Boylan is considering another run at preselection in Murray-Wellington, as is former WA Police Union chief George Tilbury in Forrestfield.

Both potential candidates have active social media accounts in support of their respective Liberal Party campaigns at the 2021 state election, but neither have been updated in the years since.

The ballot system for the legislative council will change in 2025, with 37 positions to be filled from a statewide pool for the upper house.

The council was previously broken into six multi-member regions.

The WA Liberals’ top six positions on the ballot paper will preference those pre-selected number one from their respective regions in 2025, along with the party’s leader of the upper house Steve Thomas.

The top candidate from the South Metropolitan region – likely to once again be Nick Goiran – will sit third on the list.

Party powerbroker and upper house member Peter Collier has previously stated his intention to retire from politics at the next state election.

Preselection nominations in the final electorate block will close on February 28.

These cover the electorates including Hillarys, Carine, Scarborough, Nedlands, Churchlands and Tangney.

Mr Zempilas is the highest profile potential candidate on the list, and while he is yet to declare his intentions and is not currently a Liberal Party member he is heavily linked to Churchlands.

Mark Alchin, who ran for the Liberal Party in the Pilbara in 2017 and has since relocated to the area, has also been linked to Churchlands as has Mr Moran.

Liberal candidacy in neighbouring Nedlands will also be heavily contested.

City of Perth councillor Brent Fleeton and experienced economist Elizabeth Court – the granddaughter of former premier Sir Charles Court and niece of former premier Richard Court – are considering preselection nominations.

Ms Court's preselection would be a new chapter in a long association between the Court family and the Nedlands electorate, which was held by representatives from the family for close to 50 years between 1953 and 2001. 

Former City of Karratha mayor Peter Long, who lost his position at the recent local government elections, has ruled out nominating for Liberal preselection in the Pilbara seat.

The next state election is scheduled for March 8, 2025. The next federal election is also likely to take place early that year, though no date is set.