Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios ‘took one for the team’ – The Sydney Morning Herald

Lobbyist and Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios "took one for the team" by resigning as head of the party's left faction to shut down attacks about hisinfluence on Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her government, a senior source has revealed.

Mr Photios, whose firm Premier State is registered to lobby the NSW government on behalf of private sector clients, announced he would step down as chairman of the moderates board at a meeting of the left faction at Sydney Town Hall on Saturday night.

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Labor's campaign highlights Berejiklian's close relationship with left powerbroker Michael Photios. (Video: NSW Labor)

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Labor's campaign highlights Berejiklian's close relationship with left powerbroker Michael Photios. (Video: NSW Labor)

The moderates board is the structure within the left faction where debate occurs about which candidates to support for preselection and related matters.

As chairman, Mr Photios was the leader of the left faction of which Ms Berejiklian is a loyal member.

Opposition Leader Luke Foley has attacked the manner in which Ms Berejikliansecured the numbersto secure the job, declaring that "the powerbrokers and lobbyists who pull the strings in the NSW Liberal party have decided Gladys Berejiklian will be their Premier".

A video distributed to party members for use on social media shortly before she was sworn in as Premier highlightedMs Berejiklian's association with Mr Photios.

"With Gladys Berejiklian as Premier, who is really running NSW?" it asked.

Mr Photiosexplained tothe meeting on Saturday nightthat he had chosen to resign now as he wanted to leave the positionat the top of his game like former New Zealand prime minister John Key.

He noted that members of theleft faction had now secured the jobs of Prime Ministerand NSW Premier.

But on Sunday a senior Liberal party source said Mr Photios' decision was closely tied to attacks on Ms Berejiklian.

"Michael did not want to become the story himself," the source said."He's taken a decision to remove the perception, real or otherwise, of his influence around the government.

"He's taken one for the team. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't the issue."

However, another Liberal source said: "There's no doubt he'll still be the puppet master".

NSW Innovation and Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean and federal member for North Sydney and former NSW Liberal presidentTrent Zimmermanhave been installed as co-chairs of the moderates board.

In April last year Fairfax Media revealed that Mr Photios was one of several NSW Liberal powerbrokers asked to resign from the party's state council in a push to remove professional lobbyists from positions of influence.

The request from NSW Liberal state director Chris Stone came shortly after former prime minister Tony Abbott complained about conflicts of interest during an interview with ABC TV'sFour Cornersprogram.

Mr Abbott told the program: "If you are making money out of the people whose preselections you control or influence, there is obviously a potential for corruption. And that's the last thing that we should have inside the Liberal Party."

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Liberal powerbroker Michael Photios 'took one for the team' - The Sydney Morning Herald