The federal Liberal party appears to have secured its selections for key NSW seats. 

Scott Morrison had been pushing for his own selections for ballots in Parramatta, Hughes and Eden-Monaro, leaving the NSW branch of the Liberal party highly disgruntled. 

But the Liberal federal executive has now agreed to have the candidates picked by a three-person committee rather than the rank and file having their say.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NSW premier Dominic Perrottet, and a former Liberal federal president Chris McDiven will now choose the candidates for a number of NSW seats.

The decision is seen as a blow to the ongoing movement for internal democracy within the NSW division, and is likely to further upset discontented party members.

It also reflects the immense dysfunction of the NSW Liberal division, which is beset by factional infighting.

At the same time, ALP leader Anthony Albanese has attempted to ‘shoehorn’ high profile economist Andrew Charlton, who lives in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, into the city’s western seat of Parramatta.

This has similarly angered some local Labor party members, though it is a different matter given that the ALP national executive will still make the final call. 

More details are accessible here.