A fully detailed critique and "proposal working document" can be e-mailed to those with a specific concern or query. In the interests of discretion however, such comprehensive information/proposals can not be posted here permanently. This page is to create a focal point for e-group linkup, to facilitate eventual consideration of the substantive clause additions or changes THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE PARTY FORUMS AND BODIES.

1. After each election all Parliamentary Leadership positions to be vacated and the new Leadership Group elected by caucus. That team however, can not be changed during the life of that Parliament unless it is approved in formal vote by a 2/3s majority of the State Executive. (This rule aims to overcome the Remo syndrome, i.e..factional members of Parliament or office holders creating instability in order to dismiss a Parliamentary leader mid term.)

2. Restrictions on Members of State Executive running for office within 2 years of their terms ending. (Overcomes the problems arising from the long standing practise of MSE running for the very Offices and Selections upon which they themselves have been making the rules. Often when SE Members are asked to declare an interest and disqualify themselves from a debate, a large number do so...leaving their factional cronies to pursue the issue for them.) To also overcome the O'Barrel syndrome, should also apply to employees of Division, (otherwise only the Director gets elected.?!?).

3. Rules to overcome members of State Executive being explicitally active in controversial Meetings and disputes over validity of meetings etc. For example to recent upheavals in the Southern Suburbs of Sydney. State Executive must be for those who just want to administer the Division...not self-promote and jockey for career spots.

4. Rules to overcome the Helen Shame-ho phenomena; where the Liberal upper house Members can just leave the Party, and have their Partner get elected for the Labor party, do nothing, etc. Nothing has been done about this. And the Parliamentary Party's excuse is that they need to keep her on side as they might need her vote. That is absurd. It should have been a Coulston! The $200K pa the Party loses should come out of Pickering & Willis' pension!

5. At all State Council Meetings ALL Parliamentary shadow spokespersons (or ministers) MUST be present not just to give token set pieces "read-out" lectures, but to be CROSS-EXAMINED BY THE STATE COUNCIL MEMBERS. (Both on stage and in small groups.) All questions MUST be answered without the Chair selecting a few dorothy dixes and then shutting it down. The now abolished state council Policy Committees had this defacto role. Under the current regime the PP Spokespersons have disappeared from the Party forums (as well as the media) and remained totally unaccountable. (No doubt protecting their precious "ideas" from the wicked Labor Party Concept Stealers). The privileges of professional independence have been abused by them and must be withdrawn. Amendments to be consistent with the Federal Constitution at all times.)

6. The current leader's only suggestion arising from the recent State Bushfire crisis...was..to call for a meeting of all persons who are affected by Bushfires to get together and try to work out preventative measures, etc. Given the Large number of Liberal Members involved, that Committee should be a Liberal Party one, with experts from all over the world called in to provide cutting edge solutions on the topic. Out of all the silly new names "BushFire Prevention Co-ordinator" was missed out. As with the 1994 Fires....that whole crisis was reduced to just a few cheap photo ops by our representatives. Tested in a crisis (which is where to test persons) they again failed.

7. The Upper House/Legislative Council Province Selection System has been organised largely in secret, and is yet to be tested. How the Party can go to State Elections with its Upper House Candidates only representing certain regions is a mystery. The system appears to favour factional leaders and allows personalities to "occupy" certain areas and build up regional supporters, with a view to defeating the overall State Party wishes come Selection time. Given the very patchy, often almost not-existent, nature of regional Membership, the system is open to abuse.....those with either too much time on their hands or secret parliamentary support can rort the numbers too easily. The System entrenches "regional bunching" which will eventually allow personality based fiefdoms to be used against the Parties broader interests. The fact that the Upper house term is for 8 years with a Pension for Life gives rise to very unique considerations here. (We even have one previous inner city progressive, 'anything-goes", lefty/trendy out there now masquerading as the bushies friend and conservative grazier icon.???)

8. In all Party Forums the decision of who to "give the call to" (to speak or ask questions) has been reserved for the Chair. That prerogative has been constantly abused, especially in Selections and State Council, where dorothy dixes prevail; preventing candidates from being truly tested without notes. At State Council predetermined questions and answers allow Speakers to be unaccountable and to basically......just spin crap! A system of random selection, such as drawing questions from a hat or random numbers for designated areas of seating, must be developed. Or all questions taken, and no guillotine.

9. The O'Gorman Report was a draft set of recommendations to set accountability and performance standards and criteria for the State Parliamentary Party. It suggested that they had to keep diaries, detailed commitment schedules, and accounts etc. (like we all do). The State Parliamentary Party refused to even negotiate on such scrutiny or accountability. They claimed that the Federal Parliamentary Party also must be subject to it for it to be considered. (The federal Members were not the ones who destroyed themselves in the March 1999 Election! and already have a strong Members Whip system.) The Promises by the then Office Holders to implement this Report were reneged on! The Constitution must now incorporate its recommendations.

Needlesstosay, the State Coalition Parliamentary Party is a shambles: derided by every quarter of the Media and population. The Division simply needs to..."start again." The existence of Parliamentary Democracy in this State is at Stake. Not to mention good Government. The main personal achievement of most current Members is having put their own kids through private Schools....and of course collecting frequent flyer points-flybys. The O'Doherty factor, the Collins crisis, the jobling? farm, the Perzuddi threats and trips, the Harwin agenda, etc, the simple non-appearance of so many, is all a national scandal..It is the failure of the rank and file party member to act on their instinct disgust.......that is a the root of this fatal malaise. (More on this else where.) The new Constitutional Standing Committee of the Division must assess how effective is our current structure to really achieve our primary objective of facilitating election of Party members to Parliaments for the purpose of them enacting our policies, and acting in accordance with our Liberal values, principles and platforms.

10. Full itineraries, reports and details of all travel by Parliamentary members must be tabled at State Council and made available on the Division's website within 14 days of their return.

11. The three recently released Coalition Policies have been slammed by media commentators and Editorials as naive and shallow, if not down right dangerous. eg. The concept of putting the DPP on a Contract and dragging him in before Committees, indicates an absence of any comprehension of the Westminster System of the Separation of Powers or even how the Courts work. (It is on par with the Ron Phillip's idea..of giving every citizen $1,100.00 in exchange for the State's Power Infra-Structure.) The Division's Constitution must stipulate the direct accountability mechanisms for each Parliamentary Party: to at least ensure they must debate and substantiate their proposed legislation or executive actions. The idea of just releasing your policies at the last minute is utterly discredited (as the Crosby Report fully investigated, articulated and made 128 explicit recommendations against.) All that "small target" personal strategy reveals is a desire to avoid having to justify the position to the stakeholders and a cowardly willingness to betray the Parties basic principles and "go with the wind" in the crisis of an election campaign. Our Constitution MUST entrench Rules to ensure Policy accountability to the STATE Council, in a real sense.

12. The Young Liberal Movement, and those that seek to control and manipulate its numbers, is the true source of most division and controversy in the Party. Its influence is way out of all proportion to any concrete contribution is might make. It deliberately alienates and disrupts all serious conduct within the Party forums. It is the reason there are few persons active in the Party between the ages of 30 and 50. The Constitution MUST re -formulate its delegate numbers to all Party bodies, and reduce its maximum age limit to 25 years.

13. Nepotism to be banned! Think about it. An organization has not suffered so badly from that bizarre and innocuous phenomena...well......since Caligula appointed his horse to the Roman Senate.

* The composition of state Council to remain as it is now. Basically, one delegate per Branch.

14. Any attempt to bloat and dilute the numbers of our Governing body will be strenuously opposed. the 4 or 6 delegates per Branch amendments only narrowly defeated during the year 2000 Reform votes is an absurdity. The large City group branches, the YL's MG & tomato left, and those Branches organised from Secretariat referrals and fund-raiser lists by staffers.....would all combined simply swamp the rank and file. The Rank and file remains the only ballast, the only common sense left in the Division's Administration and structure.

How can the same Organization that has delivered the credibility and consistent quality of the Howard Federal Government........also be responsible for the Macquarie Street Kids????

Through its indirect influence and secret manipulation of the Divisions Secretariat and Organisational structure the State Parliament Party has managed to ensure its own Non-accountability and operational independence. it is like the football team making up its own game plan on the filed and ignoring the Club and staff that created, funded and equipped it.

The Labor party has dozens of micro-organizations controlling and directing ALL of its Representatives. The Operational and policy "independence" now enjoyed by the state Parliamentary Party is anomalous and nonsensical. They have become a maverick group....asserting their own Rules of Engagement.

Constitutional reform is essential to salvage the Existence of Liberal Values or effective representation at the State Parliamentary level.