Deputy Mayor Georgia Ryburn had a very good chance of being the next Mayor of the Northern Beaches in Sydney.
Now, she’s four weeks away from being out of her job as Deputy Mayor, due to a missed deadline that had nothing to do with her, after the election nomination forms of up to 140 Liberal candidates failed to be submitted before the 12pm deadline period on Wednesday.
Ryburn is gutted and said so in a social media post this morning.
How did such an epic failure occur within the administrative arm of the Liberal party?
It could just be a matter of taking on too much responsibility and too many plates spinning in the air at one time and one, as the cliche goes, inevitably falling and smashing on the ground.
Many of us can relate to such spinning plates and how they impact deadlines – but rarely does a missed deadline have as much significance and impact on the careers of other.
There’s an ongoing dispute about who was responsible for the error—and it’s unlikely to be just one individual.
But the (now former) NSW Liberal Party director Shields has been blamed for missing the deadline, and was consequently sacked during a party meeting last night. He has denied responsibility for the blunder and attempted to point the finger elsewhere, saying that NSW Liberal Party president Don Harwin who he says had “volunteered” to run the nomination process. In the lead up to last night’s meeting, he declared that “calls for my resignation are premature as there must be a proper review.”
Regardless of whether other people are responsible, some might say Shields simply had too many plates in the air.
He had opted to continue as Mayor of Woollahra council when he took on the party’s director role almost a year ago.
That’s two big roles that require taking responsibility for very different issues. Was it really necessary to juggle both at the one time?
This juggle was something party members had raised concerns about previously, according to the SMH.
Ryburn has shared on social media that she’s “gutted” by the blunder. She said that although headquarters received her nomination form and received confirmation that it would be submitted by the deadline, she later learned it was never submitted. This means she and her Liberal colleagues will not be able to stand at this election on the Northern Beachers nor serve the people of the community for the next four years on the council.
“To say I’m saddened, disappointed and embarrassed by this outcome is an understatement,” she said.
She also said that to those who are not Liberal voters, it’s still a “devastating outcome for our democratic process.
Ryburn’s statement goes on to read like she’s personally lost an election or decided to step down, which is far from what occurred. She spoke about making the decision to run for council and putting her heart and soul into the role. She expressed her gratitude to the community and pride in what’s been achieved. She also thanked the council’s mayor and her fellow Manly Ward councillors, who didn’t always agree but were “respectful and diligent and shared the same heart-burning passion for improving Manly Ward as me.”
Ryburn is far from alone in now determining what the next four years of her career will look like.
According to elections analyst Ben Raue on The Tally Room, who is tracking what is now called “The Liberal Gap,” these issues are affecting 43 contests across 16 councils, including four mayoral elections. There are 38 sitting Liberal councillors affected.
We’re yet to see the full list of those affected. However, the SMH believes that in addition to the Northern Beaches, other LGAs likely to be impacted include Lane Cove, Shoalhaven, Wollongong, Campbelltown, Camden, and the Blue Mountains—which other nominations might be partially impacted in Georges River, North Sydney, Penrith, Canterbury Bankstown, and Maitland.
For those not across Sydney’s local government areas, the above list includes a good majority of Greater Sydney, with the inner council area of the City of Sydney getting their nominations in on time.
Last night, following an emergency meeting, the NSW Liberals stated Shields, stating that he was “given the opportunity to explain the circumstances to the state executive.”
“This failure to meet such a fundamental responsibility has rendered his position untenable. As a result, the state executive has unanimously resolved to terminate the state director’s employment with immediate effect.
As party leader Mark Speakman said on Thursday, “The first rule of getting elected is actually nominating.”
Unfortunately for Deputy Mayor Georgia Rybburn, that nomination process has been taken away due to no fault of her own.