Ex-Australian Christians candidate’s preselection bid fuels tensions in Victorian Liberals – ABC Online

Updated July 05, 2017 13:25:20

A former candidate for a conservative Christian party is seeking Liberal preselection in a key seat for next year's Victorian election, amid internal tensions about the party "lurching to the right".

The Liberal Opposition needs to win a minimum of seven seats to seize government from Premier Daniel Andrews, including in Melbourne's sandbelt.

A former candidate for the Australian Christians party, Frank "Papa" Papafotiou, is seeking Liberal Party preselection for Bentleigh, which Labor holds by just 0.8 per cent.

In the race against Mr Papafotiou is former MP Elizabeth Miller and Asher Judah, who was the Victorian deputy executive director of the Property Council.

Preselection candidates are banned from speaking to the media. But Mr Papafotiou's candidate booklet for voters uniquely includes endorsement from the former state director of the Australian Christians.

Mr Papafotiou ran for the Australian Christians in the 2012 by-election for the seat of Niddrie, winning 5.75 per cent of the vote.

The Liberals did not field a candidate in the safe Labor seat.

The number of former members of conservative Christian parties, including Family First and the Australian Christians, trying to join the Victorian Liberal Party has recently been the source of internal tension.

Members of the party's executive have also revealed fears the party's religious right has been stacking branches with Mormons and Catholic groups in a drive to preselect more conservative candidates.

If a person has been involved in another political party they require the endorsement of the Liberal Party state assembly.

A group of prospective members was blocked last year, but others were allowed in.

Some members, including MPs, are concerned that the influx could see a potential "lurch to the right" on social issues such as gay marriage, which could dent Liberal chances at the next poll.

"We are in dangerous territory now," one senior Liberal figure said.

Also seeking preselection is Chandra Ojha, who stood as an independent for Bentleigh in 2014. He won just 271 votes out of 36,330 cast in the marginal seat.

In his candidate CV, Mr Ojha takes a swipe at previous Liberal election campaigns.

"During past election campaigns, I have observed that members of the Parliamentary Liberal Party failed to understand the genuine mood of the electorate, and for this reason, were not able to communicate in a succinct and timely manner the true essence of the policies offered by the Liberal Party,'' Mr Ojha said.

Liberal preselection ballots for a swag of Labor-held marginals Carrum (0.7 per cent margin), Cranbourne (2.3 per cent), Frankston (0.5 per cent), Mordialloc (2.1 per cent), Ivanhoe (3.4 per cent) and Bentleigh will be held early next month.

Topics: liberals, political-parties, states-and-territories, state-parliament, parliament, government-and-politics, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted July 05, 2017 13:20:57

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Ex-Australian Christians candidate's preselection bid fuels tensions in Victorian Liberals - ABC Online