Two former Liberal MPs who left State Parliament under controversial circumstances have been elected to senior roles within the party.
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And prominent party powerbroker and strategist Brad Stansfield has been spurned by rank and file members from joining the Liberals' Senate pre-selection committee.
Adam Brooks and Rene Hidding were elected recently as the electorate chairs for Braddon and Lyons respectively, which means they sit on the party's state executive.
Along with other electorate chairs they get to have a say in deciding the Senate ticket for the 2022 election.
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Mr Brooks resigned in February this year after an Integrity Commission report was handed down in late 2018 on his conduct as Resources Minister in 2016.
The report found that while Mr Brooks did not have a material conflict of interest when he accessed the email account of his mining maintenance business while he served as Resources Minister, he did not adhere to robust ministerial protocols.
Mr Hidding also resigned in February after 23 years in Parliament.
He was the subject of sexual abuse allegations going back 40 years and an investigation by police was dropped after a seven-month investigation.
Party sources say it was a shock Mr Stansfield, the former chief of staff to Premier Will Hodgman, was not elected to the Clark Senate pre-selection committee.
Twelve rank and file members are elected and eight reserves.
"It is incredible he couldn't make it into the top 20," one source said.
Mr Stansfield was unperturbed.
"Since becoming a partner at Font PR I've limited my involvement in the Liberal Party, it's hardly surprising that more active members were elected," Mr Stansfield said.
Mr Stansfield's successor as chief of staff, Tim Baker, also sought election to the Senate pre-selection committee and was overlooked by members.
Mr Baker declined to comment.
He is also said to be less active in the party and is believed not to have attended the party's state council meeting in Devonport in October which was addressed by Mr Hodgman and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Political scientist Professor Richard Herr said he was unable to explain the internal politics of the Liberal Party.
"I'm not sure why people voted as they did but we are seeing around Australia push-back from members against party apparatchiks," Professor Herr said.
"You don't pick party machine people to be the front office of the party.
"Party members want to be able to decide who should be elected and have to be persuaded by those standing to vote for them."
The battle for Liberal Senate pre-selection will be hotly contested with veteran Eric Abetz facing competition from sitting senators Jonathon Duniam and Wendy Askew.
The recent election of the 67 member Senate pre-selection committee looks certain to favour Senator Abetz as retaining his number one spot.
However, it is understood the Prime Minister's Office has said it does not want Senate pre-selection determined until the latter part of next year.
The next half-Senate election is not due until 2022.