Bronwyn Bishop’s chief of staff, Damien Jones – who was linked to the travel claims that brought down her speakership – will sit in judgment of Liberal candidates in her seat of Mackellar in the upcoming preselection.

Jones is the president of the Mackellar federal electorate conference (FEC), the party structure responsible for all of the branches in the seat. He is also a federal council delegate, which makes him one of the preselectors who will choose the candidate.



In the usual process, the nomination review committee would include the NSW Liberal president, Trent Zimmerman (newly elected as the North Sydney MP), the newly appointed state director, Chris Stone, the prime minister’s representative, which, according to sources, is likely to be Arthur Sinodinos, and Jones as the FEC president.



The nomination review committee scrutinises whether the nominated candidates are appropriate to represent the Liberal party. It is a process designed to identify and remove any “skeletons” in the closet. The Mackellar committee has yet to convene.



After approval by the committee, candidates then face a preselection contest, which, in the case of Mackellar, involves about 100 preselectors. The candidate chosen then needs ratification from the NSW state executive.



Bishop is facing a serious challenge to her seat, which is unusual for a sitting member. Tony Abbott, Mike Baird and Dick Smith have backed Walter Villatora, who is the Warringah FEC president. The other frontrunner is the Mackellar local and former Manly councillor Jason Falinski, who is a consultant to transport minister Andrew Constance.



In other preselection battles such as Angus Taylor’s seat of Hume and Craig Kelly’s seat of Hughes, the prime minister has intervened to tell other candidates to back off either by elevation to ministry or by a discrete phone call.



He has made no such intervention in Mackellar and it is understood local members in her northern beaches seat – which stretches from Frenchs Forest to Palm Beach – have deserted her in favour of other candidates.



Bishop had let it be known that Jones would make a good successor in Mackellar, as a party official and former state executive member. Jones is married to a NSW upper house member, Natasha Maclaren-Jones.



But Jones’ chances vanished after it was revealed he helped organise the $5,000 helicopter ride from Melbourne to Geelong for a party fundraiser through his best friend, Andrew Gibbs.



It is understood Jones briefly left Bishop’s office but has since returned as her chief of staff.

A spokeswoman for the NSW Liberal party said the preselection was an internal party matter. Jones did not return Guardian Australia’s calls.

