Liberal powerbroker Alex Hawke was a no-show in court on Tuesday amid legal action against him and the Liberal Party by one of its own senior members, who is trying to halt a federal intervention in the NSW division by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
An urgent hearing before the Supreme Court on Thursday will decide whether NSW party officials are eligible to stay in their jobs next week, after legal advice suggested they would become defunct at the end of February due to the party’s failure to hold an annual general meeting.
Philip Ruddock and Alex Hawke.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
Matthew Camenzuli, a hard right factional member of the NSW division’s executive committee, is challenging that advice in a case brought against Mr Morrison’s close ally and representative Mr Hawke, NSW Liberal Party president Philip Ruddock and federal party president John Olsen.
Mr Hawke was unrepresented at Tuesday’s hearings and could not be reached by lawyers, with the court instead calling on barrister Nicholas Bender to act as contradictor in Mr Hawke’s absence.
Scott Robertson, acting for Mr Camenzuli, said his solicitors had taken “every step available” to contact Mr Hawke by phone and email, to no avail.
“It seems quite unlikely that these proceedings haven’t in one way or another come to his notice,” said Mr Robertson, who was counsel assisting the Independent Commission Against Corruption in its inquiry into former premier Gladys Berejiklian.
Presiding over the matter, Supreme Court judge John Sackar said of Mr Hawke: “I can only assume that his choice is not to participate in any way, shape or form in the proceedings.”
Meanwhile, the court heard on Tuesday that Mr Ruddock actually wants Mr Camenzuli to win the case, which could halt the attempted intervention by Mr Morrison.
The NSW Liberal Party’s barrister Robert Newlinds had prepared the legal opinion suggesting the executive committee may not be able to serve past February 28, which would clear the way for a federal takeover.
Morrison’s ally Hawke a no-show as Liberals face off in court
Source: Philippines Alive
