The Liberal Party should trial community primaries

Third, primaries can generate campaign momentum. Candidates competing in a primary must organise volunteers, raise funds, and engage with voters well before the general election campaign begins. By the time the election arrives, the party already has an expanded network of supporters.

Fourth, the system could also be financially self-sustaining. Candidates entering the primary could pay a nomination fee, perhaps in the range of $5,000 to $20,000, which would help defray the administrative costs of running the process. Such fees are common in primary systems internationally and help ensure that candidates are serious contenders.

Voting could incorporate optional preferential voting, a system Australians are already familiar with. Voters would rank candidates by preference, ensuring the final winner has widespread support.

Importantly, this reform doesn't have to be implemented nationwide. The Liberal Party could begin with pilot programs in a few electorates where traditional pre-selections are unlikely to grab enough attention and support to overcome an incumbent.

Metropolitan seats facing unique challenges, growth-corridor electorates with declining party loyalty, and regional seats with strong local identity would all be candidates for testing. Testing the model in a few electorates would provide useful evidence on whether it boosts candidate recruitment and electoral competitiveness.

Community primaries won't solve every problem facing political parties, but they provide a practical way to reconnect parties with the communities they aim to serve. Rather than seeing primaries as a threat to party organisation, the Liberal Party should view them as a way to renew it.

At a time when political trust is fragile and voter loyalty is becoming more fluid, opening up to broader participation might be one of the most effective ways for parties to restore their legitimacy.