Failed Curtin candidate Tom White warns that Liberals at ‘crossroads’ as he bids to lead party’s recovery

Failed Curtin candidate Tom White has warned the WA Liberal Party is at a “crossroads” after his bid to lead the recovery sent shockwaves through senior ranks. Liberal MPs jumped to party president Caroline Di Russo’s defence after The West Australian revealed that her job was under threat. “I support Caroline, I think she’s done an exceptional job in difficult circumstances,” Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said on Monday. One senior Liberal source said the party was in “meltdown” after Mr White revealed his intention to nominate to become the party’s State president. “People are furious over the idea of rolling a female party president, when the party clearly has a women problem,” the source said. Mr White would not take questions on Monday but did not rule out a challenge. “While a can’t comment on internal party matters, I share the sense that many Liberals have (that) the party is at a crossroads,” he said, in a statement. “Bold thinking is needed to move us forward.” Ms Di Russo has been Liberal State president since February 2023 when her elevation to the job was heralded as a fresh start under an “historic first all-female leadership team” alongside then-WA parliamentary leader Libby Mettam and senator Michaelia Cash. There was speculation that Ms Di Russo could step down in the wake of brutal State and Federal election defeats but she told The West that she intends to stay. “Nobody is entitled to any position, however, I am pleased to confirm that I will be nominating to serve the last year available to me under the Liberal Party’s constitution,” she said. “Across the State, I have enjoyed the overwhelming support of party members to implement an agenda of change that has steadily refreshed the party in a considered fashion. “I intend to further consolidate that work in the year ahead, leaving the next president a strong and financially sustainable organisation and an engaged membership that is working to support our new leaders in Basil Zempilas and Sussan Ley as they prepare for the next elections.” A former Uber Asia executive, Mr White fell almost 7000 votes short in his high-profile bid to oust teal-independent Kate Chaney from the western suburbs seat, which was a Liberal stronghold until 2022. The Liberal Party’s primary vote slipped one per cent in Curtin, less than the 5 per cent slump recorded Statewide as Labor claimed the seat of Moore in Perth’s north and cemented its grip elsewhere. Another Liberal insider described Mr White’s bid for the crucial position as a “thought bubble” that was premature. “Everyone that matters is in lock-step behind Caro,” they said. But a third source claimed the matter was not yet settled. Influential party figure Tim Houweling has also been linked to a potential challenge for the job amid a factional push for a scapegoat and change in the wake of the Federal election. The party’s State Council met on Saturday and agreed to terms of reference for a review of the election campaign, to be carried out by former Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman, former WA Liberal leader Liza Harvey and Sydney marketing strategist James Dore. The Liberals, left with only two MPs after a record 2021 election wipe-out, won seven seats in March to triple the party’s numbers in State Parliament. But Labor’s 46 seats was still the second biggest election victory in WA history. “There’s obviously a range of challenges, we look forward to the review when it comes to the election loss,” Ms Mettam said on Monday. “Caroline Di Russo is the incumbent president and she has my support.”