POLITICS:

Sources within the NSW branch of the Liberal Party say they have “struck gold” with the candidacy of a previously unknown rank and file member seeking to replace the late Jim Molan in the Senate.

A senior source within the NSW Liberal Party said its candidate selection panel had been busy assessing would-be senators and had settled on one whose name would soon be put forward to the NSW Parliament to fill the casual vacancy.

“The new NSW senator will be Chris Tinakeneely (main picture), a rank and file party member who actually joined the party only very recently,” the source said.

“We don’t know where Chris has been hiding but he’s a real find. For a rank and file member he has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the Senate and its rules and practices.

“Plus he knows off by heart all of the party’s policies and is able to mount the type of forensic arguments against them that our opponents might try on.

“He’s not so good at spruiking or defending our policies but I guess that will come.”

The Liberal Party source said it was a relief to settle on a new senator.

“We’ve been scratching our heads trying to find a solid candidate to fill Jim’s old job,” the source said.

“We were open to picking a woman but we were also never going to exclude any men for consideration.

“We took that stand because, as everyone knows, we don’t believe in quotas for the very simple and obvious fact they work.

“Gladys Berejiklian was a serious consideration but is unavailable. She says she is rather busy acclimatising to her likely new environment once the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption reports on all of the issues that sparked her resignation as premier in 2012. (below)

“We also received a nomination from a very forthright and very athletic middle-aged woman, Toni Aybutt, (below) who hails from Manly.

“She was considered a strong contender right up until she started giving the candidate selection panel a lengthy lecture on the good works of the late Cardinal George Pell and an analysis of Catholic theology and how it must always inform every aspect of public policy.

“While that was very impressive, it just wasn’t right-wing enough for us,” the source said.