The Parliamentary wing of the Liberal Party is made up of federal and state Parliamentarians.

It is responsible for representation of electorates held by the Liberal Party and the development of policies and parliamentary priorities guided by the LIberal principles.

In the Liberal Party, the Organisational wing cannot dictate policy but consults with but advises the parliamentary wing, particularly on the development of longer-term policies.

Election Campaigns

The Liberal Party’s federal constitution has little to say on the management of federal election campaigns. It sets out that one of the Federal Secretariat’s functions is “to undertake Federal election campaigns in conjunction with Divisions”.

The Party’s Constitution similarly has little to say about the Federal Director’s roles and responsibilities in the context of federal election campaigns, and even less about the Federal Director’s authority.

Historically, the authority of the Federal Director - as the National Campaign Director - has been undefined but de facto assumed.

To a large degree, federal election campaigns are conducted based on mutual understanding and good-will between the Federal Secretariat and State Divisions. Powers and authorities are not codified.

The way the Liberal Party runs election campaigns has evolved over decades with the degree of central coordination growing over time, particularly as new forms of communications have emerged. In decades past, the split of responsibilities were more obvious - for example, State Divisions were responsible for direct mail and the Federal Secretariat was responsible for television advertising.

While the autonomy of State Divisions remains important, the demands of modern election campaigns require seamless and rapid sharing of information to ensure resources are as effectively deployed as possible.

Furthermore, changes to Commonwealth’s funding and disclosure regime will for the first time require the sharing of intra-party financial data in real time.

However, currently the National Campaign Director does not have real time data on campaign budgets in key marginal seats.

The rigours of modern election campaigns mean that candidates for election come under greater scrutiny than ever before. Past comments and actions that could cause significant embarrassment to the Party and its leadership will almost always come to light, usually at the most inopportune time.

However, there are no nationally consistent standards for the vetting of candidates by the Liberal Party. Similarly, the powers of State Divisions to disendorse or exclude candidates who don’t meet basic standards vary greatly.

The Liberal Party should consider transitioning to a governance structure that establishes clear minimum standards at a national level (e.g. candidate vetting, financial accountability, campaign coordination) while preserving the autonomy of State Divisions in other areas.

It is arguable that strengthening these processes, with greater national consistency, is essential to improve the professional standards of our election campaigns.