Liberal Party faces bruising internal showdown as presidency battle looms

Liberal leader Ashton Hurn says voters aren’t focused on party infighting, but a fierce contest over the state presidency - with Alex Antic as the sole nominee and a Women’s Council controversy - is set to dominate the party’s agenda.

Addressing supporters at a Hutt Street Centre walk, Liberal leader Ashton Hurn claimed none of the roughly 5,000 attendees asked about the party’s internal workings, yet the Liberal Party’s future remains uncertain. Factions are locked in a contest for the state presidency to be decided at the Aug 29 annual general meeting, with conservative Senator Alex Antic the only publicly nominated contender and moderates scrambling to find an alternative.

The presidency controls campaign strategy and sits on the federal executive and candidate review committee, raising stakes over preselection influence. Recent Women’s Council elections installed 13 Antic-aligned members on the State Council and featured a contentious Q&A with anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe, prompting accusations of disrespect and generating three days of negative press. Labor has portrayed the episode as evidence of a “freakshow” within the Liberals, while the party also navigates criticism of the Malinauskas government’s hospital corridor practices and questions about the cost and timeline of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. With only five Liberal MPs in the lower house, Hurn risks further distraction if Antic secures the presidency.