A senior political insider writes:


The WA Liberals,
notorious for internal infighting, are now the subject of scrutiny by
the federal Liberal Party. A complaint has been lodged with the federal
director by the Western Australian Young Liberal President, Matthew
Eggleston, who alleges that he was denied his vote at the recent
federal Council meeting. The vote was for the ballot for the women’s
federal vice president contest – the only elected position being
contested.

The ballot paper was instead claimed by WA state vice
president Mathias Corman, an office holder with a track record of
divisive behaviour within the state organisation. Corman was not an
elected delegate to the Council meeting. Among Corman’s illustrious
achievements was his paramount role in having WA State Upper House
member, Alan Cadby dumped from his seat for no better reason than
wanting to hand the seat to one of his allies who had along the way
been caught allegedly forging membership application forms.

Cadby
promptly resigned from the Liberal Party, finished his term as an
Independent and crossed the floor to give the Labor Party the numbers
to pass its one vote one value legislation. The consequence of Corman’s
behaviour is that the Liberal Party has little or no prospect of
winning government in WA for the foreseeable future.

Eggleston
entered the Federal Council meeting room 25 minutes before the ballot
was held, but his delegate’s position had already been given to Corman
by the WA state director. In spite of demands by Eggleston, prior to
the election, that his ballot paper be returned, he was refused and
provided with a mouthful of abuse in substitute. Even an intervention
on his behalf by the justice minister, Chris Ellison, fell on deaf
ears. Such is the way apparently of doing business in the Western
Australian Liberal Party.