Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has given his strongest indication yet he will seek WA Liberal Party preselection, saying he will now turn his mind to a deadline for joining the party.
Key points:
- Basil Zempilas has been linked to a tilt at the Perth seat of Churchlands
- He needs to sign up to the Liberals by January 29 if he wants to nominate
- He says he has plenty of time to mull over things before the deadline
Mr Zempilas, who is also an employee of Seven West Media, has long been touted as a potential high-profile state Liberal candidate and possible leader.
Speculation has been rife that he will take a tilt at the western Perth suburbs seat of Churchlands, which former Liberal MP Sean L’Estrange lost at the last election to Labor’s Christine Tonkin
Following the latest WA electoral redistribution, Ms Tonkin holds the seat by a notional 1.6 per cent margin.
The last day for Liberal Party preselection nominations for Churchlands is February 28, but candidates need to have been a party member for at least a month beforehand.
That means Mr Zempilas, who is not currently a Liberal Party member, would have to sign up before January 29 if he wanted to nominate.
‘Plenty of time’: Zempilas
When asked today if he would join the party before then, Mr Zempilas initially said he did not know that was the deadline.
“Well, if that’s what it is I better put my mind to it,” he told reporters.
Mr Zempilas added that as previously indicated, he wanted to spend the Christmas holiday period with his family and have time away from work.
“So there’s been plenty of time for me, and will be plenty more time, to mull over any considerations that I might have prior to that deadline, and we’re not at that deadline yet,” he said.
Quizzed on whether he was turning his mind to the seat of Churchlands, Mr Zempilas said he was “aware of the possibilities”.
“I’m aware of conversations. I’m also aware of that deadline,” he said.
“And we’re not at that deadline yet. So I’ll take my time, and if I’ve got anything to say I’ll be certain to let everybody know.”
Possible leadership cloud
WA Liberals president Caroline Di Russo said under the party’s constitution, anyone who wanted to join would be subject to the 30-day “pending in period” before becoming a financial member, at which point they could nominate for preselection.
She said during those 30 days, any other member of the branch the person was seeking to join had the right to object, in which case the matter would be resolved by the state executive.
Libby Mettam took over as Liberal leader from David Honey in late January this year, saying at the time “the reality is the team has not been as effective as its should have been” and that it had pushed many women away.
Ms Mettam has steadily elevated her profile over the year and persistently attacked Labor on issues like health and the Aboriginal heritage laws, labelling the Cook government as “arrogant and out of touch”.
At the Liberal state conference in October, she declared she would win the next state election, in March 2025, and haul the party back from the brink of oblivion. The Liberals won just two lower house seats at the 2021 state election.
If Mr Zempilas declares his hand and seeks preselection for Churchlands, it will immediately put a question mark over the leadership of the party and who will take it to the next poll.
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