At the Party’s 2022 State Conference, important changes were made to the way candidates are selected for the Legislative Assembly and House of Representatives.
This new plebiscite model provides all Party members in a local electorate with a say in who represents the Liberal Party in their community, and ultimately, in Parliament.
Who can vote under this new model?
Under the new model, every local Party member is entitled to attend and vote, provided that they:
- reside at an enrolled address within the electorate at the closure date;
- are a member of a Branch situated wholly or partly in the electorate, or are members of a University Liberal Club Branch;
- have been a member of the Party for not less than 12 months at the closure date;
- have registered for the preselection as per the procedure advertised at the time; and
- are not otherwise eligible to attend (ie, are an elected delegate)
In addition to local Party members, the following delegates are entitled to attend and vote:
- Divisional Selection Delegates
- Branch Selection Delegates (for the Legislative Assembly or House of Representatives)
- University Liberal Club Delegates (for the Legislative Assembly or House of Representatives)
- Randomly drawn State Council Delegates (20% of the number of Branch, Division, and University Liberal Club Delegates)
- The Chair of the Selection Committee
What do you need to do?
If you have not been elected as a Delegate for your Branch or Division and wish to exercise your vote at a local preselection meeting, you may wish to take the following steps:
1. Check if you’re already a member of your local Branch
Ensure you are a member of your local Branch (the Branch which covers the geographic area where you are enrolled to vote at a State or Federal election).
You are currently a member of the *|BRANCH|*.
You can confirm your enrolled address on the AEC’s website here.
Our records need to match your enrolled address. If you have moved and not updated your address with us, you can do so here.
2. If you are not a member of your local Branch, you may wish to transfer.
If you would like to transfer to your local Branch, please complete this transfer form.
What if I am unsure of my eligibility to vote or need further help?
If you’re unsure of what positions you hold within your Branch or Division, need assistance to confirm which is your local Branch, are unsure how long you have been a member of the Party, or have any other questions, please contact us.
You should send any questions on your eligibility to membership@waliberal.org.au
Please provide as much information as possible to enable us to assist you quickly.
*please note this information has been produced to provide an abbreviated guide to what are otherwise complex clauses of the Party’s Constitution. It is not to be read as a strict interpretation of the operation of the Party’s plebiscite preselection model. If you need further information, or are unsure of your eligibility, please contact Head Office directly.