The New South Wales Liberal party is under pressure to explain how one of its MPs was preselected and given responsibility for youth affairs in the shadow cabinet while police were investigating him for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage boy.
The state party leader, Mark Speakman, on Tuesday said Rory Amon had not made any disclosures during his preselection that raised “red flags”, as he addressed the media for the first time since the former Pittwater MP was arrested on Friday.
Amon resigned from parliament and quit the Liberals after he was charged with 10 child sexual assault offences including five counts of having sexual intercourse with a person aged over 10 and under 14.
After his arrest, Amon said: “I deny all charges and will make my case in the courts, not in the media. Accordingly, I will make no further comment on the case.”
NSW police have said they began investigating Amon in June 2022, after they were told a teenage boy had alleged he had been sexually assaulted in Mona Vale in 2017 by a man known to him.
In December 2022, Amon won preselection and was endorsed as the Liberal party’s candidate for Pittwater for the then upcoming state election.
Amon was elected to parliament in March 2023. That same month, NSW police set up Strike Force NOORAL to further their investigation into the alleged assault.
Guardian Australia asked NSW police whether Amon could have passed a working with children check when he was under investigation. A police spokesperson said they could not comment as the matter was before the courts.
Amon was elevated to the role of opposition spokesperson for youth affairs in the Coalition’s shadow ministry by Speakman in May 2023.
The state Liberal leader on Tuesday said he had considered Amon a “talented new MP” and had not checked whether he had a working with children check when he appointed him to the shadow ministry, or at any time since.
Speakman said Amon had not made any disclosures that raised “red flags” during his preselection for the 2023 election.
“We have a vetting process where a candidate is required to declare, among other things … have they been accused of any crime? My understanding is Mr Amon answered ‘no’ to all those questions,” Speakman said.
“Going forward, this incident raises the question of what are appropriate checks.”
The Liberals must nominate a candidate to run in the byelection in the electorate in Sydney’s northern beaches triggered by Amon’s resignation. The 35-year-old has denied all charges against him.
Speakman said he had not heard about the police investigation into Amon until the story broke in the media on Friday.
“I never heard rumours of any suggestion of child sexual abuse or investigation of child sexual abuse or any criminality or any investigation of any criminality,” he said.
“It’s alleged behaviour and, if it occurred, it is truly sickening and reprehensible. He is entitled to a presumption of innocence.”
Amon’s arrest and resignation comes amid turmoil in the NSW Liberal party after it failed to nominate 140 candidates for upcoming council elections, with the state division set to be taken over by the federal Liberal party in response.
The NSW Liberals will choose a new candidate for Pittwater at a preselection next Wednesday.
The state will now hold three byelections on 19 October. The Liberal MP Matt Kean announced his resignation as the member for Hornsby in June and the former premier Dominic Perrottet announced in July he would step down from his Epping seat.
