Two former Cessnock City Councillors are leading a class action against the NSW Liberal Party after an administrative error led to around 150 party members not being nominated for last year’s council elections.
John Moores and John Paynter are claiming the NSW Liberal Party was negligent and breached its contact when it failed to submit their council nomination forms before the electoral deadline, leaving them unable to run for Cessnock City Council.
The statement of claim was formally lodged with the NSW Supreme Court on Monday.
Both Mr Moores and Mr Paynter were first elected to the Council in 2021, with Mr Moores going on to be elected Deputy Mayor the following year.
More than 440 party members were to be nominated for council elections across the state last year, however nomination forms for just 281 candidates were lodged on time.
Cessnock, Wollongong, Lane Cove, Camden, Campbelltown, Northern Beaches and the Blue Mountains were left without Liberal candidates on polling day.
NSW Liberal Party state executive, Richard Shields, was sacked after the party found he failed to lodge nominations on time for members across 16 councils.
“This failure to meet such a fundamental responsibility has rendered his position untenable,” said Liberal State President, Don Harwin, following Mr Shields’ termination.
Mr Harwin also departed his role shortly after, leading Federal leader, Peter Dutton to appoint a three-member committee in his place.
In a statement, the Federal Liberal branch said the party owed it to their members “to address the challenges within the organisational wing of the NSW Division”.
“More importantly, we owe it to the millions of Australians who are relying on the Liberal Party to return Australia to good government after the next election to get our house in order.”
A direction hearing for the class action is scheduled for 29 May.
