Liberal Party branch-stacking probe eyes alleged Sydney council election plot

Liberal Party branch-stacking allegations, uncovered as part of an internal probe, were related to last year’s NSW council elections, Crikey understands. 

It’s understood the alleged wrongdoing related to council areas in Sydney’s south, south-west, and west and a party spokesperson said the internal review findings had been referred to the state’s electoral commission. 

“The NSW Liberal Party became aware of an attempt to circumvent party rules regarding branch membership through the use of an elaborate and complex system of imitation domain names,” the spokesperson said. 

“After carrying out an extensive investigation, the party is taking disciplinary action against a number of our members. The party has also referred its findings to the NSW Electoral Commission.”

The party expelled several members at a meeting last Friday. 

It appears the Liberal Party had begun investigating the claims by the time details leaked to The Sydney Morning Herald in August.

A spokesperson told the newspaper at the time that the party had “recently” received new information about the alleged branch stacking, after having previously been alerted to “irregularities” around membership records in 2020. 

The latest NSW council elections were held in December 2021, after being postponed from September due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The NSW Electoral Commission would neither confirm nor deny it was investigating the allegations. 

“The NSW Electoral Commission reviews allegations brought to its attention in accordance with its compliance and enforcement policy,” a spokesperson said. “Unless authorised by law, the commission cannot comment on specific compliance matters or confirm whether an investigation is taking place.”