Resignations rock NSW Liberals

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23772134-601,00.html

THE NSW Liberal Party is in turmoil, with state president Geoff Selig, vice president Rhondda Vanzella and finance director Robert Webster all quitting.

In an email to senior party figures, Mr Selig, who has been struggling to introduce party reforms designed to reduce the power of the factions, says all three resignations will take effect at the conclusion of the party's state council meeting on Saturday.

In the email, Mr Selig says he has found the role of president “both demanding and challenging.”

The sudden resignation undermines efforts by state leader Barry O'Farrell to bed down factional warfare in the party in advance of the 2011 state election.

Under the changes Mr Selig and the other two party officers have been pushing, proportional representation would apply to elections across the party, including for preselection panels.

A result would be that the factions would no longer be able to determine outcomes by controlling very small branches and relying on their equal voting power with larger branches _ a tactic the Right faction has used to considerable effect in recent years. Mr Selig's proposals to remove power from branches and transfer it to electorate-wide forums have come under considerable criticism, including in regional NSW where branches are widely dispersed and it is difficult for members to attend electorate conferences.

Another party vice-president aligned with the Right, Nick Campbell, is expected to succeed Mr Selig as state president.