An independent challenger in Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s seat — who was once kicked out of the Liberal Party for suing Scott Morrison — is causing some consternation among Coalition moderates who fear Peter Dutton will preference him on the ballot.
Matthew Camenzuli made headlines in 2022 for taking Morrison to court over the then prime minister’s takeover of NSW preselections. Camenzuli ultimately lost the case, had to cough up court costs, and was expelled from the Liberal Party.
Now, Camenzuli, a reported IT millionaire who is known among Liberals as a former hard-right factional warlord, is launching an independent bid for the Western Sydney seat of McMahon.
It’s a long shot — McMahon has been Labor-held since it was created in 1969. Dick Klugman held it from 1969-90, Janice Crosio from 1990-2004, and Bowen has been the member since 2004, retaining it in 2022 on a post-election margin of 9.5%. The ABC’s Antony Green reckons the new margin since last year’s redistribution is an even larger 10.5%.
Nevertheless, NSW Liberal Party moderates worry Camenzuli could have a chance if Peter Dutton decides to preference him on the ballot and if his campaign goes well.
The Liberal Party hasn’t yet launched a candidate in the seat, but a combination of Liberal and Camenzuli votes could stack up as a real challenge to Bowen if he’s placed high on the preference list, those moderates believe, according to Crikey’s sources.
The same sources said having Camenzuli on the crossbench would be a headache for the Coalition in the next Parliament, and they expected that Camenzuli would soon be hit with some “dirt” flung by moderates in an attempt to discredit him.
“They’re gonna push a lot of dirt on Camenzuli to ensure that Dutton doesn’t preference him — they’re worried Dutton might sell out just to get rid of Bowen, and [we’ll end up with a crossbencher] who is someone from the hard right who has actively tried to destroy the moderates,” a source said.
But one senior moderate pushed back on that narrative.
“I don’t know if his candidacy should be taken seriously, and either way I don’t think he’ll get more than the Liberal candidate. The issue is we don’t have a candidate yet. Even with the [state division in administration], nothing’s changed, the [people in charge] just don’t have their shit together,” the person said.
In response, Camenzuli told Crikey, “Looks like the moderates prefer Bowen [and] are worried that I could win with some preferences.”
Camenzuli says he’s left Liberal Party politics behind and pushed back on the description of himself as a conservative renegade, saying he agrees with the principles of Menzies and that he has support from “middle of the road, normal people who are Liberal leaning”.
“I believe in free speech, I believe in free enterprise, I believe in small government,” he said. “People who spend all their time talking to lobbyists and the big end of town, who like to sell pet projects to the government, they’ll call me names because I get in the way of their business model.”
Camenzuli plans to run a cost of living campaign and says he would like to use a possible spot on the crossbench to advocate for lowering the price of food, fuel, and electricity.
“McMahon is my hometown and it’s been very poorly served for a very long time, and [voters there] have never really had a choice,” Camenzuli told Crikey. “People are suffering, the government isn’t listening, and it seems to me that the opposition isn’t listening either.”
Camenzuli plans to bankroll his own campaign, just like he paid for his lawsuit against his former party. But he wouldn’t confirm he’s a millionaire, saying only: “I’m comfortable.”
Dutton’s and Bowen’s offices could not be reached for comment.
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