Liberal Party Nomination Failures Leave Candidates Stranded Ahead of September Local Elections

In a significant blow to the Liberal Party’s campaign for the upcoming New South Wales local government elections, several endorsed candidates have been left off the ballot due to an administrative failure at the party’s head office. Among those affected is Matt Bailey, who was set to run in Ward 3 of Newcastle, but now finds himself without a nomination.

The issue, described by party insiders as a “catastrophic failure,” has led to widespread frustration among local candidates who had spent months preparing for their campaigns. Liberal Party state director Richard Shields has apologised for the blunder, citing a lack of resources within the secretariat as the primary cause.

In Newcastle, the fallout from the nomination mishap has been felt. Matt Bailey, the endorsed Liberal candidate for Ward 3, was expected to be a strong contender but now faces the reality of being unable to compete. Despite his hard work and dedication to the campaign, Bailey’s name will not appear on the ballot due to the party’s failure to submit his nomination on time.

Councillor Mitchell Griffin of Maitland, who narrowly avoided a similar fate by submitting his nomination as an independent candidate, expressed his disappointment over the situation. He acknowledged the efforts of his fellow Liberals, including Councillor Ben Mitchell (Ward 4) and Michael Cooper (Ward 3) of Maitland, who were also affected by the nomination issues.

“I want to ensure the community that I am still a member of the Liberal Party and was originally selected to run as an endorsed Liberal candidate,” Councillor Griffin said. “It is my preference to run as an endorsed Liberal, but sadly that is not possible at this election.”

The NSW Liberal Party has come under heavy criticism for the debacle, with party leader Mark Speakman calling it “the worst act of mismanagement in the party’s history.” Speakman has demanded the resignation of state director Richard Shields, stating that the failure to lodge nominations was a “basic matter of competence and administration.”

The final list of candidates for the September 14 election will be published on Thursday, but for those like Matt Bailey and others across the state, the damage has already been done. Their exclusion from the ballot has left voters in several wards without the option to support their preferred Liberal candidates, a situation that many within the party find deeply troubling.

With the election date fast approaching, the focus now shifts to the remaining candidates who managed to secure their nominations. In Newcastle, the absence of a Liberal candidate in Ward 3 could have significant implications for the local council’s composition, particularly as the city faces the possibility of a Newcastle-style Labor/Greens majority council.

For now, Matt Bailey, along with other affected candidates, must wait and watch from the sidelines, their political futures uncertain due to what has been described as an avoidable administrative error.