Former MD of Tourism Australia, Scott Morrison, who was booted out of his job at the head of Australia's tourism marketing organisation after huge rows with Tourism Minister Fran Bailey, last night received the real payback it was rumoured he was promised by John Howard, by becoming the Liberal Party's candidate for the very safe federal southern Sydney seat of Cook, ending one of the most bitter preselection contests in the party's history.

Mr Morrison, the former head of Tourism Australia, defeated economic consultant Peter Tynan in the final ballot, with earlier in the day candidates, including Optus executive Paul Fletcher and barrister Mark Speakman, withdrawing from the contest when they realised that the numbers were against them.

It was the party's third attempt to select a candidate and followed the dumping earlier this month of Michael Towke, who easily defeated Mr Fletcher in a ballot on July 14.

Mr Towke was the subject of a range of allegations from the party's Left faction, including that he paid the memberships of party recruits and understated his involvement in the Labor Party during the 1990s. However, in a complicated factional deal, he escaped censure and sat on last night's preselection panel, interviewing candidates he defeated in July.

Mr Morrison, a non-aligned conservative, was successful after right-wing delegates from the party's state executive convinced local branch delegates to swing behind him, apparently encouraged to do so by Mr Howard, as he is understood to be Mr Howard's preferred candidate, with Morrison working closely with Howard when Morrison was NSW party secretary between 2000 and 2004.

Mr Morrison received only eight of 160 available votes in the original preselection, but The Australian revealed last week he had leapt to the front of the pack.

Mr Morrison, 39, married and with a baby daughter, moved into the Cook electorate a year ago.

Mr Morrison also received a highly controversial payout from Tourism Australia of over $330,000 after only a very short period in the post.

Please read earlier TravelMole articles on this issue: -

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1121352.php

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1119478.php

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1117477.php

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1114305.php

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1113423.php

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/110218.php

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/109918.php

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1113407.php  

Report by The Mole