On Tuesday night, the NSW state executive met to discuss the federal intervention, but the meeting was heated as Opposition Leader Mark Speakman told party members he refused to accept the committee of “two elderly men” was merit-based and presented “terrible optics” to the electorate.

Last week, two Victorian Liberals, former senator Richard Alston and ex-state treasurer Alan Stockdale, were announced as part of a three-person committee delegated to manage the dysfunctional NSW Liberals. Former NSW Minister Rob Stokes was also named as a committee member, but turned down the role.

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Speakman insisted there should be female representation on the committee.

“We can debate the merits of federal intervention or not, but it’s best that we all unite and get behind it anyway and all of us do our best to win the upcoming elections, federal, state byelection and local. However, I don’t think it’s the right thing to have the committee dominated by two elderly men from Victoria,” Speakman told Tuesday’s meeting.

“This isn’t about wokeism or quotas; we need women on this because we need a merit-based committee. I refuse to accept that a committee dominated by elderly men from Victoria is a merit-based committee … It’s terrible optics, when women are half the voters, not to have women on the committee.”

The meeting eventually resolved to appoint two women, former Lindsay MP Fiona Scott and ex NSW MP Peta Seaton.

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