Brian Loughnane 'considering whether to quit' as Liberal federal director

Liberal MPs believe the party's federal director Brian Loughnane is set to resign in the wake of the recent leadership spill.

A number of MPs have told the ABC they expect him to go, with some predicting party stalwart Tony Nutt will replace him.

A senior Liberal Party source said Mr Loughnane was considering his future, but did not believe he had yet made a decision to quit.

Mr Loughnane is married to former prime minister Tony Abbott's chief of staff Peta Credlin.

Earlier this year the couple was criticised as having a conflict of interest by the party's former honorary treasurer Phil Higginson.

"How this party ever let a husband-and-wife team into those two key roles, where collegiate competitive tension is mandatory and private consultations between colleagues to see that each side is served well, is a complete mystery," Mr Higginson said.

"The persons in our party's history that allowed it to occur should hang their heads in collective shame.

"The federal director has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the organisation at all times, repeat, at all times.

"How can this possibly happen when the COS [chief of staff] to the PM is his wife?

"It immediately brings about the cessation of open communication to the federal director, contributes to wooden and unreliable communication, and a reluctance towards open and trusting lines of communication and, dare I say it, retribution.

"In corporate Australia the chairman of the board would never allow his EA [executive assistant] to be the wife of the managing director, or the managing director would never allow his EA to be the wife of the chairman."

At the time Mr Abbott defended Ms Credlin and Mr Loughnane and said "it is no problem" that the two were married.

"If Peta Credlin was able to be deputy chief of staff to Malcolm Turnbull when Brian Loughnane was federal director, there was no problem then and there's no problem now," Mr Abbott told Macquarie Radio.

Mr Nutt has been working in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's office as he transitions into his new job.


www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-07/loughnane-considering-position-as-liberal-federal...