Couldn't find his millions but found his form - Morrison sought Liberal preselection for the Division of Cook, an electorate in the southern suburbs of Sydney which includes Cronulla, Caringbah, and Miranda, for the 2007 election, following the retirement of Bruce Baird, who had served as the member since 1998. He lost the ballot 82 votes to 8 to Michael Towke, a telecommunications engineer and the candidate of the Liberals' right faction.[22]
However, allegations surfaced that Towke had engaged in branch stacking and had embellished his resume.[23] The state executive of the Liberal Party disendorsed Towke and held a new pre-selection ballot, which Morrison won.
The allegations against Towke were subsequently proved to be false, and The Daily Telegraph was forced to pay an undisclosed amount to settle a defamation suit filed by Towke.[22]
