A NSW government MP has been cut from the Liberal election ticket weeks out from the state poll after the premier called on his party to act over an explicit photo scandal.
The coalition’s already stuttering election campaign took another hit when the Liberal Party suspended Peter Poulos on Saturday, effectively culling him from its upper-house candidate list.
Mr Poulos earlier in the week resigned from his parliamentary secretary role after apologising for emailing explicit images of a female rival five years ago.
The images, from a 1980s Penthouse shoot, were shared in the context of a preselection battle.
On Saturday, Premier Dominic Perrottet said when the situation occurred he was “appalled, horrified and disgusted”.
He said he expected the NSW Liberal Party to act, sharpening his language after appearing to defend Mr Poulos previously.
In a statement later on Saturday, a Liberal Party spokesperson said the state director had suspended Mr Poulos for six months.
“The effect of the suspension is that Mr Poulos is disendorsed as a Liberal candidate for the Legislative Council at the coming election,” the statement said.
“While Mr Poulos has apologised for his actions to the person concerned and to the community, his conduct fell short of the standard of behaviour expected of members of our party.”
Mr Perrottet earlier said the incident caused the female MP distress at the time, adding: “There is no place for that behaviour in any workplace. I have made that very clear. “
NSW Treasurer Matt Kean also said he was “very disappointed” in Mr Poulos, although he wouldn’t speculate on the MP’s future in the Liberal Party, which the deputy Liberal leader said was an internal matter.
“This is disrespect. I don’t think there’s any role for disrespect in workplaces or anywhere across our community,” he said.
Labor leader Chris Minns said Mr Poulos’s behaviour was appalling and would likely lead to instant dismissal in any workplace, not least the public service.
The government was caught in a second scandal on Friday when Damien Tudehope resigned as finance minister after declaring he owned shares in toll road owner Transurban.
The company operates most of Sydney’s toll roads and the city’s tolling regime is one of several key election flashpoints.
The premier accepted Mr Tudehope’s resignation, adding he had been cleared of wrongdoing by lawyers from the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
But Mr Perrottet refused to release that advice, saying he had already acted on the findings.
Mr Minns argued it should be made public because hiding the information was “problematic”.
Asked if the Liberal Party was in disarray six weeks out from the state election, the premier and treasurer insisted the party remained focused on delivering for families.
On Saturday, the coalition pledged $1.5 billion to set up a Clean Energy Superpower Fund to invest in renewables and boost the state’s transition from fossil fuels.
The premier also announced a record $23 million funding boost for the state’s life savers, for new rescue vehicles, jet skis and upgrades to their emergency communication devices.
Meanwhile, Labor pledged $13 million in the coming four years to deliver another 50 police officers to southwest Sydney to tackle escalating crime.
By Phoebe Loomes in Sydney
