Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he is sorry a Queensland LNP member lost a preselection battle for her safe seat, but it is up to the local members to decide who represents the party.

Key points: Jane Prentice lost preselection for the safe Brisbane seat of Ryan to city councillor Julian Simmonds

Jane Prentice lost preselection for the safe Brisbane seat of Ryan to city councillor Julian Simmonds She is one of only three women representing Queensland LNP in the Federal Parliament

She is one of only three women representing Queensland LNP in the Federal Parliament Colleague Warren Entsch says it's a "disgrace", but PM says this is the consequence of a grassroots political party

On Saturday, Assistant Minister for Disability Services Jane Prentice lost preselection for the safe LNP seat of Ryan to Brisbane City councillor Julian Simmonds.

It was a comprehensive defeat, 256 to 103, but has sparked a focus on the number of women in the LNP.

Mrs Prentice is one of only three women representing the LNP in Federal Parliament from Queensland.

The loss prompted one of Mrs Prentice's colleagues to call upon the Prime Minister intervene to overturn the preselection defeat.

Warren Entsch, the LNP member for Leichardt in far north Queensland, said he was profoundly disappointed and called it a "bloody disgrace".

"I think it sends a very, very bad message with regards to women in politics in Queensland," he said.

But his call for Mr Turnbull to intervene fell on deaf ears, with the Prime Minister saying he was sorry Mrs Prentice had lost her preselection but that was the consequence of having a grassroots political party.

"You have to win the support of your local members to be re-endorsed and that is something all of us have to do," Mr Turnbull said.

He described Mrs Prentice as a good friend and said she was doing extraordinary work with the disability sector.

Mrs Prentice is not publicly pushing to have the preselection reversed.

She echoed the words former prime minister Tony Abbott uttered when he was rolled for the Liberal leadership in 2015: "Shit happens," Mrs Prentice said to ABC journalist Matt Wordsworth in a text message.

Mr Entsch said Mrs Prentice was an outstanding contributor who had been focusing on her frontbench role as Assistant Minister for Disability Services.

Jane Prentice text to ABC journalist Matt Wordsworth passing comment on last weekend's Ryan preselection decision. ( Supplied: Matt Wordsworth )

He argued Mr Simmonds had time to ensure he had the numbers for preselection while Mrs Prentice had been spending her time rolling out the NDIS.

Treasurer Scott Morrison rejected the view that there should be intervention to overturn Mrs Prentice's dumping.

"Canberra shouldn't be messing in the affairs of Queensland, that is not how our party operates," Mr Morrison said.

"Our rank and file members are the ones who decide who stands for them at every election."

Dumping or democracy?

Former Brisbane lord mayor Sallyanne Atkinson said she did not see the weekend result as Mrs Prentice being dumped.

"She has been there for a while and there was a feeling — I gather — in the party, among the branches, that it was time to give somebody else a go," she said.

"That's what democracy is all about."

Mrs Atkinson said Mrs Prentice had done a good job.

She noted the LNP in Queensland had chosen Amanda Stoker to replace George Brandis in the Senate, which boosted its female representation in the Upper House slightly.

Deb Frecklington said the party had to do more to get women into Parliament. ( ABC News: Leonie Mellor )

Queensland LNP parliamentary leader Deb Frecklington expressed disappointment Mrs Prentice had not been re-endorsed, saying the LNP needed to do better to get more women into Parliament.

But Ms Frecklington defended the Ryan electorate branch members who voted to replace Mrs Prentice with Mr Simmonds for the next election.

"As a party, we do need to do better, we need to get more women to run in our elections, so that is why I'm mentoring many women who I know will be excellent candidates at the next state election," she said.

"As a member, I can be disappointed in an outcome but I'm not going to be a big bully boy and stand over the top of our members.

"That is exactly what the LNP is all about, giving the grassroots members the right to their say.

"The LNP is a democratic party. It's something I treasure the most about the LNP, that we give our grassroots members the right to have a say over who our candidates are for either state, local or federal elections."

There is also turmoil in Western Australia, where the Liberal Party executive has been forced to intervene in the preselection of Ian Goodenough, after what is being described as an administrative bungle.

The ABC understands eight branches in Mr Goodenough's electorate of Moore breached the party's rules governing the timing of their annual meetings, meaning they would have been excluded from the preselection process.

That would have left two branches, and a total of eight delegates, deciding Mr Goodenough's future, so the State Council intervened on the weekend to take over the preselection process.

Mr Goodenough is the only MP in WA facing a preselection challenge and would have almost certainly lost had the executive not intervened.