Paranoia and confusion reign as Liberals begin purge after election disaster

The NSW Liberal Party is gripped by paranoia and confusion and has begun a purge of officials after this week’s nomination blunder.

At a hastily called meeting last night, the powerful members of the party’s state executive agreed unanimously to sack state director Richard Shields, who has been in the job since 2023 and was blamed for the failure on Wednesday to hand in nomination paperwork for up to 140 candidates for local council elections. 

Party sources told Crikey both Shields and the man who has emerged as his nemesis, state president Don Harwin, attended the meeting in person at the Liberal headquarters on Macquarie Street in Sydney.