Right-wing party members believe moderates have stacked the deciding bodies of the party and are choosing too many candidates who do not appropriately reflect the membership's positions on key issues like gay marriage. Moderates fear the right does not represent the broader community and would preselect unelectable candidates if allowed.

There has been a grassroots push, led by former prime minister Tony Abbott, to democratise the party. But his efforts have been stymied, including most recently by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and then-Premier Mike Baird in October at the party's state council, where they deferred the issue to a futures convention to be held in the first half of 2017.

State executive has now scheduled the event to be held on July 21-22 at the Rosehill Gardens. But questions are being raised on both the right and the left of the cash-strapped party about why the event is being held at the lavish location, and across an entire weekend, when the push for reform could be dealt with in a day or less.

The Warringah motion calls for each party member to be given a vote to elect candidates for the lower and upper houses, instead of the current system where select delegates or the state executive makes the decision.

Earlier this month, the key architects of the Warringah motion, along with Mr Abbott, Walter Villatora and the former NSW Senate candidate Jim Molan, sent out an email urging members - especially those from the regions - to attend the event.