Liberal-aligned LNP member won’t ‘retire gracefully’ but is fighting to hold on to a winnable spot

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

He’s the longest continuously serving senator in the Australian Senate, famous for his passionate defence of retaining the gold travel pass for politicians and his battles with Penny Wong and Gillian Triggs.

But Ian Macdonald may be about to lose the upper house spot he has held on to since 1990, as the Queensland Senate ticket becomes the latest Coalition preselection flashpoint.

Liberal-National party sources have long said that Macdonald, who became the father of the Senate (the title given to the longest continuous-serving MP) in February 2015, was told at his last preselection this would be his last term.

But the Queensland Liberal-aligned LNP member has refused to step aside, and having failed to groom a successor in his almost three decades in the Senate, is fighting to hold on to a winnable spot on the six-person ticket.

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He has told party members he will not voluntarily move on, despite several overtures having been made to him to “retire gracefully”. He has also previously told the parliament he would “probably be carried out of here in a pine box”.

“His biggest sell is that he is the only senator based in north Queensland,” one LNP source said on the condition of anonymity as speaking on preselection issues is against party rules. “But we haven’t won seats in north Queensland. In fact, we have gone backwards, in both the state and federal elections, and it is because, frankly, he is not doing the work needed to win up there.

“He’ll be 80 if he gets another six years. We all know what he’s done in the past, but we’re trying to set this place up for the future.”

In Queensland, the Liberal and Nationals parties are officially merged, meaning only one Senate ticket is produced.

Facing an insurgency from conservative minor parties, such as Katter’s Australian Party and One Nation, the Nationals traded away one of their positions on the Queensland ticket to take the No 2 spot and ensure a win at every election.

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It has left the Liberals jostling for positions one, three and four, as the “winnable” spots.

Macdonald, who has nominated for every Liberal position on the ticket, faces strong challenges from Brisbane mining executive Paul Scarr, finance executive Gerard Rennick, former candidate Teresa Harding and former Newman government MP Scott Emerson, who lost his state electorate last year to Queensland’s first Greens MP.

“Scott may not have done enough work,” another LNP source said.

“Paul, Teresa and Gerard have been working on this since [George] Brandis announced his departure.”

The Nationals-aligned senator Barry O’Sullivan is believed to have fought off a strong challenge from Susan McDonald, a well-known figure in Queensland beef circles, whose father Don McDonald is a former party president.

O’Sullivan has been strongly pushing his role in establishing the banking royal commission among party members to cement his spot.

But his supporters are not claiming victory yet. While O’Sullivan is thought to have the branch numbers, the LNP state council vote has proved unpredictable in the past.

The lack of women in the vote has also raised eyebrows, as the coalition attempts to address its gender imbalance.

The LNP executive has also been under pressure to quell insurgencies against sitting MPs, after Jane Prentice, an assistant minister in the Turnbull government, lost her preselection to her former campaign manager.

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The state executive intervened to save Andrew Laming from members of his branch moving against him, as the party attempts to present a show of unity.

Moves to switch up the LNP Senate ticket have been in place since January, after Brandis, a moderate in the Queensland arm of the party, announced his retirement.

Amanda Stoker eventually won the battle, after a strong push to install another woman into the Queensland party, but her more conservative leanings have left LNP moderates worried about the balance.

“Ian may be an ornery and stubborn bloke, and he may never stop talking about how things used to be, but he’s a true Liberal, and we saw that in the same-sex marriage debate, when he voted yes, despite his own beliefs,” a party source said.

“Take a look at the LNP and you’ll see his type are rapidly becoming the minority.”

The LNP Senate vote will be held on Friday, and will be followed by the state conference.