Two months past deadline, a sitting Liberal MP still hasn't made up his mind about whether to recontest the upcoming federal election.
The indecision of Barton MP Nick Varvaris is becoming a major sore point for Liberal Party bosses, leaving them only weeks to find an alternate candidate and deepening the party's likely loss in the southern Sydney seat.
Nominations for preselection closed on Friday, February 19.
A mix of puzzled and angry chatter within the party began the week after Mr Varvaris missed the nomination deadline: "This is weird, even for Nick," one Liberal said at the time.
But now, more than two months later, a party source said Mr Varvaris still had not decided whether to nominate, despite several extensions of time from the party.
Liberals have interpreted the move as a display of anger towards the party hierarchy over two issues: a recent unfavourable redistribution of his seat and the state government's amalgamation policy.
"He doesn't feel like they've done much for him," one Liberal colleague said.
The MP was said to be devastated by a redistribution of his seat by the electoral commission, which turned it from one held by the Liberal party by less than one point, to one notionally held by Labor by about 6 percentage points.
The electoral commission took that decision despite an impassioned plea from Mr Varvaris' parents.
But should he decide not to run for the seat, Mr Varvaris will only likely entrench Labor's advantage.
Unlike NSW elections, where there use of MP's offices is more tightly regulated, federal MPs can use resources such as printing allowances, their electorate offices and their staff for campaigning purposes.
This, combined with the greater visibility and name recognition of a sitting candidate, can add as much as three per cent to a party's vote, according to a Liberal source.
At a March meeting of Kogarah council, Mr Varvaris, who sits on the council, moved a motion against the state government's plans to merge the council with Hurstville.
Mr Varvaris instead moved a motion calling for the state government to merge the council with Rockdale and Hurstville councils – a configuration some believe would be more politically advantageous for him.
Adding to Labor's advantage is the deal to field high-profile candidate and former NSW deputy leader Linda Burney in the seat.
Mr Varvaris has not returned phone calls and text messages from Fairfax Media.
The former mortgage consultant in Sydney's south is perhaps best known for falling asleep and accidentally voting for Labor on one apparently disorienting day early in his parliamentary career.
Meanwhile, the party has installed former TV presenter and non-profit director Yvonne Keane in the key seat of Greenway.
That seat was lost by Jaymes Diaz last election. His father, Jess, continued to hold control of the branches set to vote in this year's preselection ballot.
But the party took no chances with the seat this time. Ms Keane, a deputy Mayor of Hills Shire, was installed using "special powers" circumventing a local vote. Ms Keane pulled out of a preselection ballot in 2013 after it became clear the Diazes had control of the vote.
The final deadline for candidates to nominate is between 10 and 27 days after writs are issued calling for an election.
This report appeared first in The Sydney Morning Herald.
