00:00Well, Mark Speakman says he was caught off guard when the Liberal Federal Executive yesterday
00:07launched a takeover of the party's New South Wales division.
00:10It followed the failure of party officials in Sydney to nominate some 140 candidates
00:16for the upcoming local government elections after missing the paperwork deadline.
00:21The Federal Executive asked the New South Wales division to appoint three senior Liberals
00:25to run the party for 10 months, including Victorians Alan Stockdale and Richard Olsen,
00:31as well as the former New South Wales Minister Rob Stokes.
00:35But last night, Mr Stokes declined the offer, telling the ABC he was not in a position to
00:40accept.
00:41Mr Speakman said he put Mr Stokes' name forward days before the decision when there was talk
00:48about possible federal intervention.
00:50The opposition leader said Mr Stokes had expressed to him an in-principle willingness to serve
00:56I did not know that that motion was going to Federal Executive.
01:00But of course, there had been suggestions that there would be federal intervention.
01:05So very late in the piece, I sounded out Rob Stokes about his interest in serving on such
01:10a committee.
01:11He indicated to me a happiness to serve.
01:13I conveyed that to federal identities.
01:17There was off the record, I thought, private discussions about other possibilities.
01:21But I had no knowledge that his name was going to be put forward to a Federal Executive
01:26meeting yesterday.
01:27Well, this was the first time Mr Speakman fronted the cameras since former Shadow Assistant
01:32Minister Rory Amon was charged with child sex offences on Friday.
01:36Mr Speakman said the first he learned of the charges was through the media.
01:41He said there were rumours about Mr Amon's sexuality, but that they were none of his
01:45business.
01:46He insisted, though, he had heard no rumours suggesting any alleged illegal behaviour on
01:52Mr Amon's part.
01:54Mr Amon quit parliament on Friday and denies the charges, which he says he will be defending
02:00in court.
02:01The party is facing headaches on multiple fronts as it prepares to try to hang on to
02:06three seats in by-elections next month.
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